Mental Pictures
by tdminor86
Summary: AU FIC. After being separated for 7 years due to an unforeseen tragedy longtime best friends Sam and Mercedes are finally reunited. However lies, dark secrets, and deceit threatens to break them apart once more.
1. Familiar

**AN: I don't know why I am starting another story but this one has been on my mind for a while now. It is AU so I hope you guys like it. As always please R&R! Sorry for any mistakes.**

**Declaimer: I do not own glee or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter One: **Familiar**

* * *

**March 9, 2012**

For a person who was in a permanent state of sleep for almost two whole months, you would think the last thing I would want to do was sleep. Lately however all I really wanted was a decent night of rest without being woken up by my own personal nightmare. It is always the same one I am being chased by a dark black figure through a field when he catches me. No matter how hard I try to defend myself he always overpowers me. I can feel the sharp blows from punch after punch kick after kick. His face is never visible and his voice is like the devils. I lie there until he is satisfied, I can no longer fell a thing and I lose consciousness. The first thing I see each and every time I awake from total darkness is the green eyes of a beautiful man hovering over me. He smiles and tells me not to worry he is here to save me. Only he doesn't the figure returns and the torture continues then my savior disappears.

Tonight was one of those tough nights as much as tried I couldn't fall back to sleep. I finally gave up and went to the basement of my family's home to do what the doctor calls "positive reliving". She suggest that once a day I spend time recollecting moments of my past to help remind me of things that I may have trouble remembering. I switch the light on in the basement and sit in front of the huge purple and gold trunk which contains the first 13 years of my life. The first thing on top is a picture of my parents at my dad's collegiate championship football game. The confetti surrounding them as he has her in mid lift, their smiles were big and bright, happy. My mom and dad met their freshman year in college he was the academically struggling football star, she the misunderstood painter and nerd, nerd tutors jock, jock falls for nerd and the rest they say is history. I rummage through more photos of me and my parents some were of vacations we would take in the offseason of my dad's first few years in the NFL. Though I don't recall much about these trips I seem to enjoy them. There was always a little boy with us in these pictures Sam Evans was his name. Apparently he was my best friend growing up and I would cry and beg them to let him come along. He was in a lot of the photos in the trunk, anywhere from age 5 all the way up to the year of my accident which happened when I was 13. He grew taller as I shorter and the most recent picture of us was us sitting on the rooftop of some building, the sun was beginning to set and the sky was full of beautiful colors. His arm was around me with one of my hands placed on his leg the other snapping the picture. Our smiles transparent to the ones of my parents in the first picture. There was writing on the back of the picture:

Sam and I

February 7 2004

I pick up my journal that was in the trunk and turned the pages to see if I had written about that particular day. I was near the end when I found it.

_Friday 2/7/2004_

_10:45 AM Study Hall_

_I flunked my very first test today. My parents are going to kill me! 13 years of living and today it would come to an end. I had never once had anything lower than a B- so when Ms. Sylvester plopped the paper on my desk and the big fat red D was the first thing I saw my heart instantly sank. She claimed that my answers were over-worded and impartial. I tried to talk her into letting me take a retest but she shut me down without hesitation. Then to make what already was beginning to be a crappy day worse when I went looking for Sam after class Quinn Fabray and her two ass kissing flunkies Sugar and Rachel were posted up around his locker waiting for him as well. I don't think I had ever seen someone so self-centered and desperate to be popular in my entire life. As I walked by I could feel their judgmental glares of hatred boring holes in me. I knew Sam had Chemistry last class so I quickly made my way to the science hall to meet him halfway. Of course Sam knew exactly what to say to me to make me feel ok. His words of encouragement and the added promise to hang out at our spot after school was what I needed in order to make it through the rest of this awful day._

_5:15 PM S&MSR_

_Sam made good on his promise and now we are here together at our special place. I cried for the first 5 minutes as he held me in his arms worried about what my parents would say about the grade. At least that was the lie I told Sam, eventually Quinn did catch up with Sam after all and asked him to the Sweethearts Dance next week. I thought he might had want to go with me but when he told me he had said yes my heart sank for the second time that day. She said something about how it was tradition for the king and queen to go to the dance together. The school had voted and the results were announced yesterday (see previous page for complete bitchy rant) Congrats to our 2004 King and Queen Sam Evans and __Quinn Fabray__! YAY! NOT! That's what I get for being a chicken and not just telling him how I truly felt about him. I wish it was just that easy to tell him that I was in love with him. That I wanted to be more than just his friend since kindergarten, and who could give him a run for his money in video games. That no other girl especially Quinn Faboring was going to understand him like I do, but I was scared and rather than acting on my feelings I was worried that confessing this to him would freak him out and I would lose him all together. Oh well. I have all the time in the world to spend with him maybe one day I will get the courage to tell him the truth. One day._

I close the book as bits and pieces of that memory start to come back to me.

"_I thought I came up here to chill with you not watch you write in your silly little diary of yours." He said to me._

"_How many times do I have to tell you that it is a journal a memoir, one could say of my life so when I become famous I can already have the layout of my autobiography?" _

"_Diary, journal, notebook it's all the same thing."_

"_Take a picture with me? I need a new one for my locker." _

"_Ok but I want a copy so I can put one in mine also."_

"_I don't think your new girlfriend would approve."_

"_Girl stop okay, Quinn is just my date for the dance nothing more. Besides your picture has always been the one in my locker since like 3__rd__ grade so don't act new. Best friend trumps girlfriend any day. So are you going to make me a copy or what?"_

"_Of course Sam."_

"Mercedes?" The sound of my mother's voice snapped me back into reality. "Can't sleep again?"

"I was just looking through my things. Pictures of Sam and me."

"That's nice."

"I kinda miss him. I am starting to remember more things about him every day. I wish I could see him."

"He went to Kentucky for college remember?"

"Yeah maybe if I could find his parents they could tell him I am back."

"Well honey his mom remarried and moved to Tennessee."

"Right! His father could help us?"

"His dad is dead or did you forget."

I forgot about my parents telling me his father passed away almost a years ago. Unfortunately he was hit by a drunk driver coming home from work. I don't recollect much about him.

"Why the trouble sleeping?"

"I had another nightmare."

"I am sorry sweetie." My mother made her way over to where I was sitting and caress my cheek. "Have you been having them more frequently than usual?"

"Not really." I lied. I knew if I told the truth she would overreact.

"What about headaches?"

"Not more than the regular one or two."

"Well today at your appointment I will be sure to tell the doctor you are having trouble sleeping."

"It's not so bad. I don't want you to make something out of nothing."

"Fine." I knew she was going to bring it up anyway she would always say one thing to me but do the total opposite when it came down to it.

"Hey mom?"

"Yeah Dee."

"I was wondering after we leave the doctor's office today if we could go and get me an ID?"

"ID? What do you want to do with an ID?"

"Well I- I- I was thinking about getting a GED." I said nervously.

"You want to get your GED? What brought this on?"

"Well I have been home for almost two months now and I was looking into maybe taking some courses at Lima Community College but it says I need either a high school diploma or a GED. Since we both know that a diploma is out of the question I want to get a GED."

"I don't think that that is a good idea right now."

_Of course you don't. _Ever since I had come home my parents have treated me like I was a little kid. Dictating every little thing I did, telling me what was good and bad for me, what I could handle. It's too soon they would say or you're not ready I was getting tired of being cooped up in the house, the way they were acting I might as well been living in a glass box.

"Mom I am fine. I need to get out and do something I just can't stay here forever."

"Yes you can Mercedes. You need to rest and relax honey and trying to worry about school is the last thing you should be thinking about right now."

"Mom you think keeping me inside like this is doing me some type good. I spent the past 7 years locked up in a tiny space with no windows, blindfolded, chained to a bed, and then 2 months in a coma; I think I have had more than enough rest and relaxation."

"I don't need to be reminded of that." She said sternly. I just don't want you to get ahead of yourself. Plus I just got you back."

"Look I am not saying that we have to do this right away I would just like to look into it is that okay?"

"I won't make you any promises Mede but we will look into it."

"Thanks mom. How about a snack?"

"Peanut butter and Jelly?"

"You know it." I smiled at her and packed the items back into the trunk leaving the picture of Sam and me and the journal out to read later.

My appointment went smoothly. Talking to Dr. Emma Pillsbury was helping me try to understand my reoccurring nightmare. We talked about who I thought the dark figure was and also who my green eyed savior was. How I felt about my parents smothering the hell out of me, and what my plans where on moving forward with my life.

March 17, 2012

I finally talked my parents into letting me go somewhere alone. I was buttering them up for the past week; even Emma told them I was more than ready. Can you believe it? Here I am 20 years old and I have to seek permission to do something as simple as going to the local library. Even then I had to be dropped off like a kid going to school on the first day. My mother made sure to give me her cell phone so dad could call me when he was outside to pick me up. I planned on spending the day looking for the perfect book and getting lost in it in a quiet corner of the library.

"Call me if anything goes wrong you hear me?" My dad said with a worried expression on his face.

"It is just the library dad jeez." I rolled my eyes and opened the passenger door.

"I'll be back at 3pm sharp."

"Bye dad." I closed the door and speed walk to the entrance before he decided to ask for a goodbye kiss too.

The library wasn't huge like the ones I remember seeing on movies but it have a wide variety of books. I slowly scanned each section stopping once and a while to skim through a few pages of those that seemed to spark an interest. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched though. I would look around and see no one and then moved along down the aisles of books. I finally decided on The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks I remember seeing a commercial for the movie a couple of days ago. I checked out and find my quiet spot right by a window where the sun was shining just enough to light up the dark corner. I curl up in the chair and began to read, about ten pages in the being watched feeling returned and I look around again this time I catch a man watching me from a table a few feet away. When he realized I notice him staring, he quickly looks back down at his book.

I could've sworn I had seen him somewhere before. I continue reading. Not even a minute later I can feel him looking again. This time I ignore him. Another minute has passed and I glance up only to meet his eyes again. Why does he look so familiar? He green eyes penetrating into me. In that moment I realize where I had seen that face before; of course he was my green eyed savior. It can't be, that's impossible, could it be him? He looked away but I refuse to take my eyes off him this time I was the one staring. He glanced in my direction again and I made sure to get a good look at him. The book fell out my hands and hit the floor causing a loud thud. My mouth was hanging open and I was so in shock that I didn't notice he got up, walked over to me and picked the fallen book up.

"Umm miss you dropped this."

"…"

"Miss? Are you okay?" He snapped his fingers.

"I'm sorry what?"

"Your book."

"Oh thank you." He was kneeling in front of me and was so close I could smell his cologne and he smelled good.

"I am sorry I was staring but you look so familiar to me? Have we met before?"

_Yes in my dreams for the past few years._

"I am not sure." I said, my voice sounded a little frighten but I was far from scared.

"I don't mean to creep you out but you look like this girl I use to know. But you couldn't be her she- she- never mind." He said with a pained expression on his face.

"May I ask what your name is?"

"Sam."

"Evans?" We both the last part at the same time.

"How did you know- OH MY GOD YOU ARE HER! MERCEDES!"

"SSSSSHHHHHHH!" The librarian from behind the counter warned.

He leaped in the chair I was sitting in and gave me a breathtaking bear hug.

"I thought you were dead." He whispered in my ear.

"Gee thanks."

"What? How? When? I need a moment." Tears started to form in his eyes and I began to feel bad.

"Why are you crying?" I asked.

"Because I spent the last almost eight years thinking you were dead."

Just then the phone in my pocket began to vibrate.

**Outside to get you. DAD.**

_Crap perfect timing dad._

"Sam I am so sorry but as you can see I am very much alive. Unfortunately my father is here to pick me up and if I am not outside in the next two minutes he will come in looking for me. Is there any way I could maybe postpone this until tomorrow please?"

"What! No why can't I just come over to your house with you now? I just found out my best friend who I thought was dead is now alive and you want me to wait till tomorrow to see you? I can't." He looked at me with pleading eyes.

I knew exactly how he felt. This was such a bittersweet moment but I didn't want my parents to know I found Sam at least not yet it would just be something else they would try to control and I wanted to have the opportunity to reconnect with him on my own terms.

"This is what we will do there is a park at the end of the street from my house how about you meet me there in let's say an hour?"

"Why can't I just come now?"

"I have my reasons. Please just meet me at the park."

"Fine I will go there now and wait for you. Promise me that you will be there or I will come to your house."

The phone vibrated again.

"I promise Sam I will be there but I have to go."

He cupped my cheek, hugged me once more and stood up so I could leave.

"One hour Mercy." He warned.

"I promise Sam one hour." And with that I left.

* * *

**AN: So what did you guys think should I continue, scrapped it or what please let me know. If I do continue I will get more into what happened to Mercedes in the next two chapters as always please Review I loved reading what you guys think.**


	2. Distant Memories

**AN: First I would just like to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read the first chapter, I appreciate it. Thanks to those who favorite and reviewed, I love getting those alerts. This story will be a little twisted at first but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or the characters.**

* * *

Chapter 2: **Distant Memories**

* * *

Sam felt like he just had an out of body experience. Like the past 10 minutes had all been a dream, a dream that he had wished true since he was 13. One where he would wake up every day and get to see his best friend Mercedes. Instead he would wake up only to be reminded that she was no longer there. No more walking to school together, no afternoons filled with video games, debates over which superhero the best, and talks of one day getting out of small town Lima. He would have given anything just to see her again including his own life. So when he saw someone who he believed to be her at the local library today, his mind was telling him he was doing it again; picking someone out of a crowd who he thought to be her only to be let down when he approached them. His heart was screaming for him to say something anything to her and this time he wasn't disappointed. He left the library immediately with a promise from her to meet him at the park around the corner from her house. He knew he had an hour till she was to meet him, but he didn't want to chance missing her somehow. Like if he didn't leave now she would never show and he would realize that this was in fact another one of his dreams. He would wait at that park for days if she asked him. He arrived at the park within a couple minutes and sat down on the first bench he saw right next to the entrance of the park so there was no way she would miss seeing him.

Mercedes was having a hard time wrapping what had just happen around her head. Did she really just see Sam? She had been wondering for almost a month now if she would ever see him again. What was even more trippy was that Sam had end up being the man in her dream that was there to save her. What exactly did that entail? Did her try and rescue her once upon a time or was he such a big part of her life that her brain refuses to shut him out of her memories? She didn't know the answers to these questions but she sure was going to ask Sam when she met him later. All she had to do was convince her overprotective parents to let her go somewhere else alone for the second time today. When they made it home her mother and older sister Candace were just getting started on dinner.

"How was the library sweetie?" Her mom asked.

"Fine. I think I found a decent book." She answered.

"Which one?"

"The Lucky One."

"Oh that's nice I heard about it but haven't had time to read it. Tell me if it is a good read when you finished it okay?"

"Sure mom."

"Well dinner will be ready in two hours if you want to take a nap or something."

She was running through a hundred different ideas in her head of how to get out of the house in an but she was coming up short. What she did know was that she didn't want Sam to show up here to her house like he had promised her if she didn't show. _Think fast Mercedes!_

"Mom?" she said sweetly.

"Yeah Mercy?"

"I really didn't get a chance to get into my book that well at the library and I just wanted to find a nice quiet place to relax and read clear my mind you know."

"OK?" She said wanting her to get to the point.

"I have always wanted to go to that park around the corner. It seems like a nice quiet place to just sit and enjoy the day. Since it is so nice outside I was wondering if maybe I could walk there?" He mother gave a disapproving look so she quickly spoke again. "I mean just till dinner is ready."

"The Washington Park on the corner right?" Her mother confirmed.

"Yes." She was twirling her fingers and biting her bottom lip waiting for her mother to say no.

"Fine but just till dinner is ready and you have to take my cell phone with you."

"Thanks so much mom." She said hugging her and kissing her cheek.

She remembered Sam saying he was going to the park right away so she decided to go ahead and leave now rather than keeping him waiting. She ran upstairs grabbed her journal and some photos placing them in her shoulder bag and ran downstairs to go meet Sam.

"Bye mom." She said as practically flew out the front door before she changed her mind.

"You got to let that girl breathe Ma." Her sister said after Mercedes had left.

"I do let her breathe Candy you don't know what you are talking about." Her mother replied.

"No you don't she is twenty years old Momma and you and dad treat her like she is still thirteen. I mean what twenty year old do you know has to seek permission from her parents to leave the house." Mrs. Jones went to object but Candace held up her finger to stop her. "You and Dad talk about how you want her to live this normal life and want her to move on as if the past 7 ½ years didn't happen, but lying to her and trying to keep her contained just like _**he **_did for all those years isn't helping her. I know I promised I wouldn't say anything but I can see that she is starting to remember more things each passing day. What are you going to do when she finally remembers everything huh? How do you think she is going to react when she finds out what you let her do the other day knowing what really happened?"

"Candace I know what I am doing. Let me handle my child how I want to handle her and when you and Noah start having kids of your own then you raise them how you see fit. Until then I just need you here to support and help Mercedes get her life back."

"Fine mom but I am just warning you I have a bad feeling this is going to blow up in you and Dad's faces. And when it does I won't be around to watch it I am going home to my husband because she seems to be doing better. She put down the bowl she was mixing in and grabbed her keys from the kitchen countertop. "One more thing Ma notice how you said 'let me handle my _child _my point exactly she isn't a child. When Noah and I do decide to start having kids I will be sure not to shelter and lie to them like you two are doing her."

"Candace Jones-Puckerman don't forget who you are talking to young lady!" She heard her father say from the living room.

"Sorry Dad, Mom I am just saying. Tell Mercy I will call to check up on her later." She said and walked out the door.

OOOOOO

Mercedes saw Sam sitting on a bench when she first entered the park and he didn't waste any time making his way to her. He hugged her tightly like a soldier hugging his wife for the first time since coming home from war. He didn't want to let her go; he wanted her to stay like this in the safety of his arms forever. He felt himself tearing up again just like at the library and he nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck. He finally released her minutes later after she shifted uncomfortably in his arms. He still stood close to her taking her in.

"You're early." He said after a few moments.

"Well you said you were coming right over here so why make you wait." She answered nervously.

"Shall we sit?"

"Yea sure."

They sat at a picnic table on opposite sides of each other. She placed her bag down on the table and began to fumble with her fingers.

"You're nervous." Sam said raising one of his eyebrows at her.

"What no." She said.

"Yes you are I can tell."

"How?"

"You fiddle with your fingers when you are nervous. I am an expert on all things Mercedes Jones it is very little I don't know about you."

"Oh." She tried to stop and placed her hands in her lap so he couldn't see. "What else do you think you know that I do?"

"Well, you bite your lip also when nervous. You sing when you clean. You cry silently when you are pissed and noisy when sad. No wait it's the other way around noisy when mad silent when sad."

"Anyone could have known that about me doesn't make you an expert."

"You have to pee in the dark otherwise you feel like someone is watching you. Your favorite snack is peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches. Your favorite color is purple. You cried like a baby in my arms when Mufasa died on The Lion King. Let me see what else? You are scared of clowns oh, and Ostriches because one got loose and chased you around the zoo when we were 8."

"I don't remember that. I don't remember a lot of things from my childhood but it sounds like you do. Sometimes I do get some of my memories back though."

"I have to ask you some things Mercedes. Because I am trying to be all cool and calm about this but I am losing my mind here."

"Okay. I will try to answer them the best way I can Sam but I won't make you any promises."

"First, why couldn't I come to your house?"

"Ever since I have been back my parents have been overseeing everything I do. I just wanted to have something to myself that they couldn't control. When you saw me at the library earlier it was the first time they let me go somewhere alone and I have been home for two months."

"TWO MONTHS?" She jumped when he screamed at her. "I'm sorry I'm sorry. It's just you have been home for two months and I didn't know about it. I would have come as soon as I heard."

"Well you are here now so it is still a good thing. Next question?"

"You say you don't remember much why is that?"

"I was in a coma for a while and the doctors said that I have a slight case of memory loss. They think that I will eventually gain back all my memories as time progresses. I have some exercises that I do every day to help with that, plus my parents and sister help by telling me stories."

"How long?" Sam asked quietly his hands were trembling and his breathing was hitched.

"How long what?"

"You were…you know….in a coma?"

"Oh that. Seven weeks and two days. When they found me I was unconscious from a severe blow to the head. Also I had bad case of malnutrition. I don't know a whole lot about how, where, and when they found me."

"What happened to you- I mean what do you remember about what happened."

"I really haven't been talking about that Sam. I just feel like when I try to recall what happened it becomes too much to handle." Mercedes was twirling her fingers again the only other person she told besides her parents what she remembered was Emma and even then she wasn't comfortable talking about it. "I remember the room I was in. It was dark and there were no windows. It had no TV and it smelled like burning wood. There were some days where I would be chained to the old dirty bed. I…I…remember screaming for help but no one ever came and sometimes they would tape my mouth to make me shut up or worse beat me."

Sam's jaw clenched. "They? So you know who did this to you then?" Sam stared at Mercedes curiously.

"No I don't they always wore a mask and/or would blindfold me when they would come in the room."

Sam sucked in a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "So it was more than one person then?"

"I don't know I just assumed it was because I never know who it was or saw their face. Their voices were distorted so I really couldn't tell you if they were familiar. I just remember how they smelled I would never forget that." She shuddered at the thought.

"Why?"

"I'd rather not answer that." She said looking down at her hands.

"Why?"

"I don't want to talk about it Sam so just leave it alone okay." She said angrily. Mercedes wasn't sure why but Sam's whole demeanor changed when she answered his last few questions. This made her think he knew to about what happened to her then he had put on but she didn't want to jump to conclusions this early. "Can we just change the subject please?"

"Yeah Yeah I'm sorry?" He said worried that he had upset her. "What's in the bag?"

"I was hoping maybe you could answer a couple of questions for me?" She said taking some items out of her bag.

"Is that your journal? Wow I haven't seen that thing in so long I am surprised your parents still have that."

"Yeah apparently they kept all my things. Going through my journal and old things of mine are a part of my memory exercises."

"Really are they helping?"

"Yes and No. I read some stories and I don't remember anything about them while others I read and get like these flashback or these small images would pop in my head. Am I making any sense?"

"Yea I get it."

"So I was wondering maybe you can tell me a little about things that occurred in some of these pictures or if I read something from my journal you could tell me about it?"

"Ok cool I'll help."

"Really Sam Thanks."

"You welcome."

"Okay first where are we in this picture?" She asked as she handed him a picture of the two of them swinging on a porch swing in front of a giant house.

"This is easy, that's my grandparents' house. We spent so many great days there. They had fruit trees galore, I mean any fruit you could think of they had it, apples, peaches, plums, pears, cherry, and figs. There were pecan and walnut trees and a few blackberry bushes."

"Wow sounds nice. What did we do there?"

"The question is what didn't we do. We played games, rode go carts and four wheelers, picked fruit, chased each other through the fields, swim, well I swam you just pretended and nearly drowned a bunch of times." He laughed and she hit him playfully on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"_Well I swam you just pretended and nearly drowned a bunch of times." _She tried her best to imitate him and he laughed.

"Okay first, I do not sound like that. Secondly, it's the truth I tried to teach you a few times but you were too chicken to learn."

"I was not. Was I really chicken?"

"Yes you were. I think you didn't trust me to teach you properly."

"Well I can't tell you if that is true or not. Ok what about this one?"

"Ah! This is us waiting in line to see the first X-Men movie. We waited for like four hours straight for tickets."

"And this one?"

"Waiting in line to see X-Men 2."

"We really like our superheroes huh?"

"Do we? I can't tell you how many arguments we have had about comic books and movies pertaining to superheroes."

Sam went in to detail telling her some stories about their best arguments. She laughed at his enthusiasm even though she couldn't recollect half of what he was telling her. She was learning so much about the times they had shared together as she showed him a couple more photos and he gladly told her a small story behind them. Sam claimed that she loved to take pictures and her dad bought her a different camera each year for Christmas. That was something that her parents neglected to tell her but she wouldn't penalized them for it. She also found out that every year for New Year's she would give Sam a scrapbook filled with pictures and different things from their previous year together.

"I still have all of them you know." He said.

"You do?"

"Yeah of course I do."

"You think you could show them to me?"

"I could do that."

"So we have spent all this time talking about me. Tell me Sam what have you been up to because my parents told me you were going to school in Kentucky?"

"I am. It's spring break."

"Oh I see. What else?"

"Nothing really I am studying to be an architect and also studying some graphic design. I have two crazy roommates named Artie and Mike."

"What about high school?"

"What about it?" He said reproachful.

"Tell me how it went."

"High school was uneventful. I played football and graduated with a 3.0 GPA I wasn't president of anything and sung in the Glee Club."

"Football huh? Were you any good at it? I mean did you love to play?"

"I was very good at it. So good I was offered plenty of football scholarships, but I didn't play it because I loved it."

"Then why did you play?"

"Because I was angry all the time and football was the only thing that would help calm my nerves."

If Mercedes wasn't mistaken it sounded as if Sam's tone was a little annoyed. What was so bad about his high school years? She wasn't sure but she really wanted to know more about him so she tried to lighten the mood before asking another question.

"So are we talking about Wolverine angry or The Hulk angry?" She smiled at him hoping he like the superhero reference. But his mood didn't change.

"Neither more like Sam Evans angry."

"Why were you so angry Sam where you not getting any?" _Attempt number two she thought at lightening the mood._

"No I just was ok. I don't want to get into it so just drop it." Sam said getting irritated.

"Tell me about it?" She asked. "Maybe you just need to get it off your chest."

"I'll tell you about it when you tell me why you won't forget how they smelled." He said staring dead in her brown eyes.

"Fine its dropped I won't bring it up again Sam." Now she was the one irritated and Sam could tell that he had upset her.

"I am sorry Mercedes I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine." She said with a small weak smile looking back down at her once again fumbling hands. Sam knew she wasn't fine and he had to fix it.

"Same old Mercy." He said with a light chuckle.

"What?"

"Only you would try to lighten the mood with a Wolverine and The Hulk joke."

"Hey I had to try something?" She laughed and Sam joined in with her.

He missed her laugh; it quickly became one of his favorite sounds growing up. He missed her. Just seeing her. Of course she was different from the thirteen year old girl whom he had last seen, but some of her most dominant features still remained the same just more enhanced. Her lips were fuller and her hair wasn't as long, she was smaller but she still had curves for days. He big chocolate, doe eyes still sparkled when she laughed and her puffy cheeks still rose slightly when she smiled and that smiled God it was still the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. The sound of a cell phone ringing pulled Sam out of his thoughts.

"SSSHHHH don't say a word it's my mom." Mercedes pleaded and Sam put his thumb and index finger to his mouth to pretend her was zipping his lips.

"Hey mom." She gazed at Sam while she listened to her mom speak on the other end. "Okay I will start heading back now then." Sam pouted at her and she smiled at him. "No Mom I don't need dad to come pick me up I walked here and now I am going to walk back. I will see you in five minutes. Bye."

"Let me guess you have to go?"

"Yeah my mom is through cooking dinner and they are waiting on me to eat."

"When can I see you again Mercedes?"

"How about tomorrow? We can meet back here and maybe you could bring your scrapbooks and tell me some more stories."

"I would like that. Say we meet around 3pm?"

"Sounds good. Thanks again for today Sam I am glad we found each other again." She said gathering her things.

"The pleasure is all mine Mercedes I can't wait to see you again."

"Neither can I."

They both walked out the front of the park and hugged again at the exit. "See ya soon Sam." Mercedes said and felt Sam tensed up in their hug.

"Later Mercedes." He mumbled and awkwardly walked away towards his truck.

"_Okay that was weird." _Mercedes thought to herself and began to walk her way back home.

Of course her father was on the porch waiting when she made it to her house.

"How was the park?"

"Fun, I had fun. It was nice and quiet I am thinking about going again tomorrow."

"That sounds nice." He dad smiled at her. "Come on let's go inside and eat some supper."

Mercedes followed her dad inside smiling about her time at the park with Sam. Dinner was good besides her sister sudden absence which she thought was strange and later that night she had her first dreamless night of sleep in a long time.

* * *

**AN: That was chapter guys what do you think. What do think Mercedes parents are hiding? Did you guys like Sam and Mercedes reunion? Remember to please review it helps keep my creative juices flowing. I will also try to update Honesty Always no later than Saturday hopefully, maybe, fingers crossed. TTFN tdminor**


	3. Haunted Pt 1

**AN: Hey everyone! I want to thank everyone who has taken the time and read the first two chapters. Thank you for all of the lovely reviews and favorites. I enjoy reading what you have to say it really motivates me to write more. Ok WARNING! This chapter is a little darker than the first seeing as if Mercedes starts to remember in details more about what happened to her. Thought I would warn you if you don't like things like that. On a scale from 1-10 it is about a 5ish 6ish. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter and some of your questions get answered. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

**Sorry for any mistakes.**

* * *

Chapter 3: **Haunted Pt. 1  
**

* * *

"Please please I am begging you just let me go! I promise I won't say anything if you would just let me go."

"I am so sorry Mercedes but he is getting too suspicious now and we have to move you."

"NO NO LET ME GO!" Mercedes kicked the dark figure in the groin and ran as fast as her legs would allow her. The brightness from the sun burned her eyes. She had no clue as to where she was and her hands were bond.

"Come back here you little bitch!" She heard the man behind her yelled after her and she ran through a path she spotted in the thick woods ahead.

"MERCEDES! MERCEDES!" She turned her head at the sound of her name and she noticed the figure was now running after her.

"Please God help me please!" She said a prayer as she was already tiring from weeks of lack of food and proper nutrients.

She was crying now as she willed herself to push forward through the thick sea of trees nothing looking familiar to her. She still heard her attacker close behind her and the thought of being recaptured only made her press on faster. She spotted just a few feet ahead what seem to be some sort of hill or incline in the forest and she prayed for any type of salvation on the other side. When she finally made it to the top she saw paved road down the slope of the deep treacherous hill. She panicked as her eyes frantically scanned the rocky hill for a clear path to the bottom. By the time she mapped her route down the sound of footsteps caused her to panic and she bolted down the hill path be damn. Not following her path backfired and she tripped not even ten feet down scrapping her left leg against a sharp rock as she feel.

"Ah! No! Get the hell up Mercedes!" she willed herself as she eyed the man making his way towards her.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" The man snapped as he reached her.

"Don't touch me I won't say anything I swear please I am sorry I kicked you just let me go home please." She cried.

She looked up at the man but couldn't see his face through the sunglasses and black hoodie he wore.

"Don't worry you are going to pay for running you little tease. As far as the kick let's see how you like it. He slapped her. Her face burned instantly as her head twisted violently.

"You're a coward." She said spitting in his face.

He grabbed her throwing her over his shoulders and headed back towards where she ran from.

"No let me go you son of a bitch!" She kicked and bucked wildly trying to escape his arms. "Help! Help! Help!" She screamed.

"Mercedes!"

"Help! Help!"

"Mercedes! Baby please!"

"Help! Help!"

"MEDE BABY PLEASE WAKE UP!"

Mercedes eyes shoot open and she leaped forward in her bed frightening her mother.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"You were screaming in your sleep honey I think you had another nightmare." Her mother answered concerned.

"It felt so real momma like it wasn't a dream but a memory of some sort. Like it had actually happened."

"Oh! Mercy I am so sorry baby." She said hugging her daughter. "You were doing so good you went what ten, twelve days without a nightmare?"

"Thirteen." She said resting her head on her mother's shoulders.

She was sure of this because it had been thirteen days since Sam had come back into her life and she hadn't had nightmares since.

"Do you want us to make you an appointment to see Emma today?"

"No that won't be necessary I am fine now."

"I can lay with you until you go back to sleep if you like?"

"Thanks mom but I think I will be ok?"

"Alright let me know if you need anything else." Her mom kissed her forehead and turned to leave her bedroom.

"Sorry for waking you up Mom." Mercedes said as her mother turned off her light.

"No harm done." She smiled and left the room.

After an hour of lying in the bed and staring at the ceiling Mercedes knew she wasn't going to fall back to sleep.

_**OOOOOOOOOOO**_

Sam was having a hard time sleeping. Thoughts of Mercedes were overcrowding his mind and he could not think of anything else. He left Lima three days ago and he hasn't been able to focus on his schoolwork since. He already missed the first two days back because he couldn't pull himself to leave her just yet, but when he got worried calls from Mike and Artie and a few other friends he knew he didn't have a choice but to head back to Kentucky. After glancing over at the alarm clock on his dresser for the millionth time he saw his phone light up and flashed. He smiled big when he read the name of the incoming caller.

"You are supposed to be sleeping right now Rogue." He said when he pressed the talk button on his phone.

"Rogue?" Mercedes asked confused. "Who the hell is Rogue?"

"Sorry Mercedes when we were little you would sneak and call me or you would show up at my window really late at night. So I started calling you Rogue because you were like a thief in the night. She stole other peoples powers. Corny I know."

"No it's cool."

"Plus everyone already always called you Mercy or Cedes I just wanted to be different you know. So why aren't you sleep? Isn't it passed you bedtime?"

"I was sleep but I woke up and now I cannot go back to sleep."

"Why?"

"Honestly? Because you left."

"AWWW! Do you miss me Rogue?" Sam teased.

"NO!" She laughed. "It's just that…. they stopped when you were here."

"What stopped?"

"My nightmares." She said quietly.

"OH." They were quiet for a moment. "Was it really bad this time? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'd rather not. I will say it was one of the worst ones I have had."

Sam's heart hurt hearing his friend sound so scared and sad on the other end of the phone and he wanted so badly to fix it.

"I'm sorry you are having a hard time. I wish I could make them all go away."

"Yeah me too I wish you were here with me Sammy. Not to sound selfish or spoil but I really do need you. But, you have your own life to deal with right now so I guess I will just have to do without." She sighed.

"Tell me what I can do for you right now then."

"Tell me a story, one about us."

"OK." He thought for a moment about what he wanted to say. "Did you know we won a talent show together?"

"No. What did we do?" She asked getting settled back under her covers.

"Well you sang Alicia Key's Fallin' while I played the piano in the background. I will never forget that day; you had this pretty white lily in your hair and this banging black, sequined knee length dress on. After you finished you got a standing O. I knew we won fifteen seconds into the song and if we didn't I was going to riot. You amazed the whole school."

"What else can you tell me?"

"I got suspended from school for the first time because of you."

"What? How?"

"Sixth grade. We went on a field trip to Magic Mountain and there was big kid named Shane Tinsley. Everyone knew he was a bully and this particular day he had his sights set on you. Everywhere we went he stood by you putting his arm around you or standing a little too close and I could tell you were getting annoyed. So when we settled down to eat something he sat directly next to you, only this time instead of putting his arm around you he sat it in your lap."

"He didn't." She said shocked.

"Yep. You looked up at me for help. I said Shane I think you need to lay off Mercy you are making her uncomfortable why don't you cool down. He just ignored me and scooted closer to you. Sooo I took his huge cup of drink and when he stood up to take it back I kicked him square in the balls and poured his drink over his head."

Mercedes was dying laughing on the other end of the phone. "Please tell me you are lying you did not do that."

"Yes I did. I got three days suspension and it was totally worth it."

For the next hour Sam went on and on telling Mercedes different stories from school until she finally fell asleep on the other end. Sam could hear her light snore and he said "Sweet Dreams Rogue" and hung up.

She didn't hear from Sam at all the next day and she knew she probably wouldn't. He had a full schedule of classes while she had a full day of boredom. She had another nightmare that night. The next day she tried to call Sam a few times but she didn't get an answer. After her fifth try she gave up but not before leaving a voicemail. For once she went to the park and actually did what she had been telling her parents she had been doing all along reading her book. That afternoon she went to visit her sister and her husband Noah. They played video games and made fun of reality TV then they went to a small diner around the corner of their house for burgers and fries. By the time they finish laughing and eating it was well after 10pm. Candace convinced her parents to let Mercedes stay the night and now she was drifting to sleep in her sister's guest bedroom.

Mercedes was woken out her sleep by a splash of cold water slamming into her face.

"Get up! Someone screamed at her.

She sat up in the dirty old bed and was met with a punch to the face. She cried out in pain. She looked up and met the angry green eyes of a tall older looking man with light brown hair. She knew him at least she thinks she did. He had a long cut on the left side of his face. He went to hit her again but she moved to avoid it and was struck in the side of the ear instead.

"Tried to escape again huh?" She heard him say through the ringing in her ears. She said nothing. He raised his hand to hit her again but was stopped by another person in a black hoodie and a bandana across his face.

"That's enough." He said.

She sat back in the bed with her back against the wall. She placed her head between her knees and she waited for more of the abuse to come.

"Let me handle this, your head isn't clear." The calmer of the two said.

"Fine but chain her ass to the bed this time." The angry one huffed. "Every time you show that bitch some pity she one ups you." She heard footsteps leave the room and the door slam shut. After a second she felt the weight of someone shift on the bed in front of her. She felt a hand run through her hair and she jumped at the touch.

"Mercedes I'm sorry."

She looked up at the man next to here and he gently ran his thumb across her swollen cheek.

"He is right you know. Every time I try to be reasonable you try to leave me Shell why? Don't I make you happy?" He hands moved from her face to her neck and shoulders. She smiled at him with the hope that he wouldn't get angry with like the other man.

"Yes." She said weakly.

"Then why are you trying to leave me? I take good care of you. I feed you, I buy you clothes and nice things, I don't yell at you much or hit you like he does."

"You did earlier." She said looking away from him.

"And I am sorry for that but sometimes you just make me so angry I can't control it. I love you Shell you're my whole world." He leaned in to kiss her and she flinched when he cupped her cheeks. She inhaled one last breath through her nose and she closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks.

She opened her eyes again and realized she was in a totally different room.

"_It was just a dream Mercedes." _She said to herself. _"It wasn't real you are safe."_

She wiped a few tears that fell from her eyes and looked at the clock. It was 2am in the morning. On impulse she did the first thing that came to her mind and that was call Sam.

_Hey you've reach Sam Evans I'm not in right now so leave a message after the beep or don't._

"Hi Sam I know it is late and you have class in the morning but" She paused for a second to calm the shaking in her voice. She was crying full on now. "But I just really needed to talk to you. I'm scared to go to sleep. I need you. Bye." She ended the call. She wasn't at home so she couldn't read her journal or go through her pictures so she just lay back in the bed and hummed quietly to herself crying while praying for a dreamless sleep.

_**OOOOOOOOOOO**_

Three days had passed and Mercedes couldn't get escaped all of the images and dreams that had been crashing into mind each passing day. She had questions that were unanswered and everything seemed to be out of order. Her mind was like a thousand piece puzzle and she had no idea where to begin to put it back together. There still was no word from Sam and she was starting to think her was avoiding her. She had an appointment with Emma that morning and she was actually looking forward to going for once.

She walked into the office of Emma Pillsbury and was greeted by her assistant Brittany Pierce. She wasn't the brightest person but Mercedes did love her free spirited outlook on life and personality.

"Good morning Brittany." Mercedes said.

"Mercedes nice to see you again though I almost didn't make to work on time." The blond said.

"Really why?"

"My cat Lord Tubbington has been so depressed lately ever since I took away his drugs. So I had to put him on a suicide watch because he has been throwing himself off really high places but he always keeps landing on his feet." She said sadly. "Plus I think he is down to his last two lives."

Mercedes pressed her lips together hard trying not to laugh.

"I am sorry to hear that and I hope he gets better soon."

"Thanks so do I."

After about five minutes of flipping through a magazine she heard a door open and she saw Emma walk a tiny brunette girl with a rather abnormal nose out of her office. Her eyes were red and puffy obviously from crying.

"Thank you again for seeing me at such short notice Emma." She said wiping her eyes.

"I am always hear when you need me Rachel you know that." Emma said patting her on the back.

The brunette looked down at Mercedes sitting on the couch and eyed her curiously. She stared at her for a few more moments and then she turned to leave.

"Mercedes I am ready for you." Emma spoke.

Before she could stand all the way from the couch Rachel whipped her head back around so fast you would have thought she had snapped her neck. She stared at Mercedes as if she had seen a ghost.

"Oh Dear God!" Rachel said and her jaw hit the floor.

Mercedes didn't know whether to be scared or offended by the girl's reaction to hearing her name and the staring.

"Rachel are you ok?" Emma asked.

But she didn't say anything and ran out of the office.

"Alright then we won't talk about her issues." Emma said as she led Mercedes into her room. "That girl has a special type of crazy."

Mercedes laughed and then she remembered something in her journal about a Rachel.

"Was that Rachel Berry?" She asked Emma as she made herself comfortable on the extra-long chair.

"Yes. You think you know her or that you guys were friends?"

"Know her I think so, but as far as being friends I highly doubt that according to my journal."

"What do you mean?"

"Well in my journal it says that she was one of the girls who tortured me in school. Well maybe not torture per say but she was a part of a clique that always tried to make my life hell."

"I see. What else can you tell me about her?"

"Nothing really. She hung around with another girl named Sugar Motto and their leader was a girl named Quinn."

"Fabray?"

"Yes you know her?"

"Not personally no but I have heard a lot about her. More than I would have like too."

"From who and how?"

"For legal reason I can't say sorry Mercedes." She smiled apologetic to Mercedes. "So enough about other people. What's been on you mind lately?"

Emma always started off the session that way so today Mercedes actually had something literally to answer to that. She explained to Emma all about her recent nightmares and visions and Emma listen quietly not stopping her until she was completely finished. Mercedes sighed tiredly once she was done and waited for Emma to tell her she was crazy.

"First off I just want to say how sorry I am that you have been going through this. But I have a question what did your parents say about all of this when you told them?"

"I didn't tell them." Mercedes confessed. "My mom would have just overreacted like she always does and my father would have tried to rush me off to some type of specialist to make sure I wasn't being possessed by some demon spirit."

"Ok well at first I was going to disagree with your decision of not telling them but then when you explained your reasoning I changed my mind." She laughed. "I can totally see both of them doing those exact things. Mercedes what do you think those dreams mean?"

"I have a small theory. I don't think there are just everyday common dreams. I think they may be bits and pieces of my memories coming back to me in my dreams or haunting me I should say." She began fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. "It all seems so real and quite familiar to me. It is not just dreams but also I see flashes of things reminding me of what happened."

"Like what?"

"Like I remember more of what the room I was confined in look like. The black walls and I was wrong before there was a window but it was painted black and boarded up. There was a hole in the floor where I used the bathroom. I know there were at least two of them now. I know one of them touched me inappropriately. Their hands touched in places where only someone you were in love with should touch you. Unwanted kisses in off limits areas. He claimed that he was in love with me. I...I...know that I knew the person or persons who did this to me but I can't remember who they are." Tears started to form at the edges of her eyes and she quickly wipes them away putting on a strong front. "I know that I had more than my share of black eyes, bruises, split and swollen lips. I even escaped a few times only to be caught."

Emma wasn't as strong as Mercedes however she was balling like a little kid as her heart broke for the girl sitting across from her. She knew what she went through was tough but actually hearing her say it aloud was more than she could have bargained for. She wanted nothing more than to console her take away her pain but she knew in order for her to truly move on past this she had to hear it all out.

"You said someone close to you did this why?"

"I saw their face right before one of them hit me. There was something similar like I seen him before but differently. I don't know if that makes any sense whatsoever."

"Why do think things are starting to come back to you so much now? I mean you have been back for a lil over two months and things would just come back to you little by little at first but lately it seems as if it like someone opened up the flood gates."

"That's because someone did come back in my life that wasn't here when I came home at first."

"I see who may I ask?"

"Sam Evans."

"The best friend?"

"Yes and I lied to my parents they don't know I have been spending time with him and I feel really bad about it. I just wanted to have something to myself that is all."

"No it is fine I understand you wanted to rediscover your relationship with Sam on your own. But eventually you are going to have to tell your parents about him."

"I know."

"Why do you think he is the reason why you are remembering things?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I was actually going to ask you the exact same thing." She laughed. "I suppose it is because he lets me be me and doesn't try to shelter me when it comes to opening up about what happened. Plus he showed me other things from before my accident and he has been great with telling me stories about my past."

"Well listening to the way you talk about him and seeing the way your face lights up with emotion when you talked, I would say that Sam is some sort of trigger of yours."

"A trigger?"

"From what I know about you and your past it seems like other than your parents and sister, Sam is someone that was a really huge factor in your life. He knows more about your life the average person so maybe he knows exactly what you need in order to get back on the right track."

"I don't think that is possible now."

"Why?"

"He went back to Kentucky. He goes to school there he was only in town for spring break when I happened to run up on him."

"Oh really that is so unfortunate."

"Tell me about it the whole time he was here I didn't have a single nightmare and as soon as he left it was bam they came flooding back."

"That is very weird and interesting to say the least. He definitely has an impact on you."

"Yeah."

"Emma your ten o'clock is here." Brittany said over the intercom.

"Thank you I will be with them in a moment." She said.

"Ok final thoughts I think you need to convince your parents to let you go and visit Sam every now and again." Mercedes opened her mouth to protest but Emma held a finger up halting her. "I know it is going to be hard but you and I both know that he is the key in what has been affecting your life the last few days. Also you need to start writing down what you see in your dreams and visions as painful as it may be but it will help in the long run trust me. Knowing what happened and dealing with it head on is what you are going to need in order to overcome this. It may even help with figuring out who done this to you and why. Now whether you decide to share this information with someone or not is up to you but I suggest you do, only on your own terms. By writing it down when you do share it with someone if you feel as if it is too much to talk about again they can simply read it. Ok?"

"OK."

"Alright so I will see again in two weeks."

"Thanks Emma." Mercedes said as she stood and hugged the red haired therapist.

"You are so very welcome my dear."

She left Emma's office saying bye to Brittany on the way out. Her dad was waiting for her outside and she smiled at him when she entered the vehicle.

"Everything go okay with your appointment?" He asked as he drove off.

"Yeah she gave me some really good advice and I have a lot of things I need to think about."

"Well when you are ready to talk about them I am here for you."

"Thanks dad." He dad didn't push her for answers like her mom did and she knew if there was anyone that she could talk to about what was going on it was her dad. But like Emma said it would have to wait until she was ready.

When they made home she went upstairs and plopped down on her bed. A few seconds later her phone beeps letting her know she had received a text message. She smiled when she saw it was from Sam.

**Hey Rogue whatcha doing?**

**Ignoring you.**

**What? Y?**

**I haven't heard from you in 5 days Sam you avoiding me?**

**NO NEVER! It's just school and work was getting kinda hectic. I am sorry.**

**I understand.**

**Where R U?**

**Home. You?**

**Dorm Room. Been 2 the Park Lately?**

**A couple of days ago, was thinking about going now. Y?**

**Just curious . You should go get out of the house.**

**Sounds like a good idea guess I will leave now. **

**OK text me when you get there.**

**Will do.**

She left her house saying bye to her dad on the way out. She walked the short distance to the park humming a song she heard on the radio the car ride home from therapy. When she made to the park she sat on a bench and took her book and phone out of her purse. She picked up her phone and text Sam that she made to the park as promised. By the time she opened her book to the page she last read he texted her back.

**Hey Rogue.**

**Hey.**

**LOOK UP!**

She stared confused at the text for a second before glancing up to see Sam standing by the park entrance. She dropped her phone and sprinted towards her friend. She jumped into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Sam! OMIGOD! Please be real!" She screamed as tears ran down her face.

"Hey Rogue." He said as he squeezed her tighter in his arms.

* * *

**AN: Okay guys don't be mad but this was getting super hella long like 10,000+ long. So I decided to split it into two. I will put part two up Wed or Thur so don't worry I am almost finished. It will be a little dark also put I want to answer your questions. I hope I don't offend anyone with this. So please review and tell me what you think. I know some of you already have you suspicion of who you think it is. One will be revealed real soon along with a secret her parents are hiding. Please review I'd love to know what you are thinking and if you have any questions PM I will try my best to answer w/o giving away too much information. Thanks tdminor.**


	4. Haunted Pt 2

**AN: Hey here is part two of chapter three as promise. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. Thanks for all alerts, and adding to favorites. I enjoy writing for you all so much. There is a small dark part in the chapter so beware but it was necessary for it to happen. Sorry for any errors and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Remember review and tell me what you think so far. Flashbacks in Italics.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters if I did Mercedes would have kissed Sam instead of pinching his damn cheeks. Just saying.**

* * *

Chapter 4: **Haunted Pt.2**

* * *

Mercedes was nervous. She practiced the words she was planning on telling her parents in the mirror for half an hour. She had expected her day to be a completely uneventful but got the surprise of a lifetime when Sam showed up at the park. He didn't explain his reasons for coming back and to be truthful she really didn't care, all she knew was her best friend was back and she needed him. He rushed her home and told her to find a way to clear up the rest of the day so he could take her somewhere special. He swore to explain everything once they got to where they were going. After finally getting dressed, she checked over herself in the mirror once more before finally heading downstairs.

"You are looking good today Sissy." Candace said as she made it to the bottom of the stairs.

"Thanks Candy." She smiled at her sister.

"Going somewhere special today?" Her father asked.

"No not really just though I would walk around town do some sightseeing see what sparks my memory." She said nervously. "I mean it is such a lovely day."

"That sounds like fun." Her mother said getting up. "Let me get my wrap and I will go with you."

"No!" Mercedes said a little too eagerly and was praying her mother didn't get suspicious. "I want to do this alone you know some quality me time."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Her father said concerned.

"I agree you aren't ready for this." Her mother cut in. "Going to the park and to the library are small baby steps plus they are both right around from the house. Walking around the town that is too dangerous and I don't think you should go."

"I am not a child mom for Christ sakes I am just going for a walk. I know that I am ready for this plus Emma agrees also."

"Well if you think you are ready than-". Her father began to say only to be cut off by an angry betrayed look from his wife.

"No you aren't going by yourself."

"Mom she doesn't need you to hold her hand." Candy said and Mercedes gave her a grateful smile for coming to her aid.

"And I didn't ask for your opinion did I Candace? So do us a favor and stay quiet. Mercedes now if you want to take a walk that is fine but I am going with you. Better yet if it is the fact that you feel crowded around me than Candace will go but that is the only way you are leaving this house understood?" Her mother folded her arms in front of her to let her know she wasn't going to budge from her answer so Mercedes knew she had to put her foot down harshly in order to get results.

"No I was trying to be nice by asking and informing you that I was leaving but obviously you aren't taking the hint." She placed her hand on her hip and stood firmly in front of he mother. "I am twenty years old and I do need your permission to leave the house so I don't mean any disrespect but I am leaving and going for a walk by myself and I will be back before dinner."

"Mercedes I-"

This time her father was the one to cut her mother off. "Delia let that girl go." Her mother opened her mouth to object but her father gave a glance to let her know this was the end of the discussion. "You have your phone right, call me just in case you get tired and need me to come get you."

"Thanks dad." She hugged her father as her mother huffed and left the room. "You staying for dinner Candy?"

"Yeah Noah is coming also."

"Good I'll see you both later." She smiled and walked out of the front door.

Before Mercedes made it halfway down her street she saw Sam pull beside her in his jeep.

"Hey you wanna ride?" He smiled as he hung an arm out of the side.

"My mother always told me not to take rides from strangers." She said innocently.

"Ok." He said simply and drove off.

Mercedes stood there with her mouth opened as she watched Sam drive off slowly. She saw him come to a stop a couple hundred feet ahead. She smiled as she started walking again not stopping when she reached his jeep. Sam had the biggest grin on his face when she passed by. He put his jeep in park and hopped out to trail Mercedes.

"Hi I'm Sam. Sam I am and I do not like green eggs and ham." He said as he stepped in front of her with his hand held out.

"Shaniqua. Shaniqua Jenkins." She said as she shook his hand trying to hold back a laugh.

Sam laughed. "Shaniqua really? That was the best name you could come up with at least I gave you my real name."

Mercedes let out the laugh she was holding in. "It was the first name that came to mind."

"Come on silly girl get in the jeep." He opened the door and helped her climb in and then walked around to the other side and got in himself.

Mercedes enjoyed the drive to wherever Sam was taking her. They didn't talk but she enjoyed the sounds of the city. She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of the sun shining down on her face. As the wind blew her bangs around she felt at peace. Sam couldn't help but steal glances at her as he drove. She looked so beautiful, young, and carefree like the Mercedes he always knew. As they turned on a long driveway Mercedes opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. There were trees galore all along the curvy driveway. An abundance of colors from the different flowers that started to bloom. As they got closer to the end she could see the large white and yellow house in some of the pictures she owned and in Sam's scrapbooks. She looked over at Sam and smiled widely.

"I know where we are."

"Do you now?" He asked.

"Yes. This is your grandparent's house. I remember it from our photos."

"Congratulations Miz Jones you are correct." Sam said as he slowed the jeep to a stop then shutting off the engine.

He made his way around to her side just in time to catch her as she absentmindedly leaped from her seat.

"Thanks Sammy." She smiled at him as he sits her down. She reached up and fixed his messy wind thrown hair and he sweep a few loose strands of hers away from her face. He grabbed her hand kicking the door shut with his foot and they made their way to front door. The inside of the house was breathtaking. The living room was decorated in white and gold. There was a pearly white marbled fire place with gold accents, a fluffy white couch with old fashioned gold legs, and thick gold buttons along the sides. All the other little pieces of furniture were a mixture of the two colors. Everything in the house was from a different era but to sticking to a classic elegant theme.

"You hungry or thirsty?" Sam asked as he watched her take in the house. She was smiling and looked happy. She didn't look like the girl he pictured from all of those sad phone calls and voicemails he had received.

"No, I'm perfect." She said to him.

"Anything starting to look familiar to you?"

"Not really but I do remember some photos of us in front of this mantle."

"Yeah. That's good. How about I show you the rest of the house."

"Ok sounds nice."

He took her on a tour of the rest of the house holding her hand the entire time. She laughed as he explained parts of each section while doing his best tour guide voice. When they finally made it back down stairs he asked her what she wanted to do next.

"Anything I don't care."

"Wanna take a walk?"

"Sure."

Sam led Mercedes outside and onto a small stone path. They walked slowly at first, in case she had any questions. The path led to all different parts of the estate. The particular trail they were on took them to where all the fruits trees were.

"Remember we use to run wild through these trees?" Sam asked her as they turned down the entrance.

"I read something in my journal about it. There was one I read recently about a game of hide and go seek and you saved me."

"Yes yes I recall that." Sam led her to the middle of the forest of trees. It was a huge oak tree there and it was noticeably the tallest one of them all.

"Here this is the one." He said as they came to a stop in front of it. "It was the summer and we were both 11." He began.

_"Why do I have to be it you cheated?" Sam said with a pout._

_"Oh don't be such a baby Sam I won fair and square."_

_"Did not! You leaned in and told me you had this big secret to tell me and then you whispered in my ear "not it"."_

_"Ok and how is that cheating?" Mercedes asked smiling at her best friend._

_"Because because it just was."_

_"Stop crying and count Sam."_

_"Fine." Sam grumbled as he turned around and began to count backs from twenty-five._

_"Catch me if you can." She whispered softly in his ear causing him to smile._

_Mercedes took off sprinting through the trees to find the perfect hiding spot. She looked to the sky as she ran, she always imagine that the sun was chasing her. She finally decided to hide behind the big oak, sat down and waited for Sam to find her._

_By the time Sam made it to ten he got a funny pain in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't quite shake this feeling that something was wrong._

_"Mercedes." He breathed as flew through the trees his mind thinking the worse._

_"MERCEDES!" He screamed. "Where are you!" He ran blindly through the trees not really paying much attention hoping to spot her pink and purple outfit but instead all he saw was the different hues of oranges, reds, yellows, and greens from the hundreds of fruits that were starting to grow. He yelled her name again but still no answer. He glanced and saw his grandfather's hoe leaning again a plum tree and his conscious yelled for him to grab it. Thoughts of where could she be rummaged through his mind, and he looked towards the sky asking God for a sign. In the corner of his eye his saw the oak tree._

_"Please be there." He said and made his way over._

_He saw her frozen still in fear against the monstrous tree. She stood there silently sobbing as tears ran down her face. He called her name and there was no answer he followed her eyes which trained at her feet and he notices a snake wrapping its way around her feet. He told her not to move or panic and she stayed still like a statue. With one quick swing of the hoe he cut part of snake's end. When the grip around Mercedes feet loosened he pulled her to side and chopped the snake twice more making sure it was dead._

_"You okay?" He asked her but she was still in a trance. "Mercedes?"_

_She threw herself into his arms and wept lightly into his neck. He dropped the weapon and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace._

_"I was so scared Sam I panicked I didn't know what to do." She said still holding on to him for dear life._

_"I knew something was wrong I felt it." He said rubbing his hands up and down her back. "I don't know how but I did."_

_She looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks for saving Sammy, for being here."_

_"I will always be here to protect Rogue no matter what. You mean so much to me and I don't ever want to lose you." He kissed her cheek and she burrowed her head into his chest._

_"Promise." She said muffled._

_"Promise." They stayed wrapped in each others arms for a minute and then Sam spoke breaking the silence._

_"Hey Rogue?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You're it." They both laughed._

"Wow that was weird." Mercedes said as her and Sam leaned against the tree. "You just had a feeling and you came looking for me."

"Yea." Sam said.

"I am glad you came and rescued me. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't showed up in time."

"It was a close call but it all worked out. Want to go for a ride on the four wheelers? I can take you to the lake."

"Ok." He grabbed her hand as they ran laughing and playing back up the path. He stopped at the house and fixed a couple of sandwiches and grabbed some sodas and fruit from the fridge.

They went to a small garage at the back of the house and Sam went in and pulled back out on a red and black four wheeler. Mercedes hopped on the back and they headed left of the garage towards the lake. Once there Sam led her to the bank and they sat and watched the water and had a small picnic. She asked him plenty of questions which he gladly answered. She learned that she was actually pretty good at fishing and she even won a tournament that was held the summer before she was taken. After an hour or so of spending time by the lake they headed back to the house.  
_  
_

You look tired how about we sit down for a minute." He asked as they approached the steps of the porch.

"OK. But only if we can sit on the porch swing."

"After you." He smiled at her and gestured his hands towards the swing.

Sam let her sit down first and once she was comfortable he set beside her. She scooted closer to him closing in the distance between them and placed her head on his shoulder as he slowly pushed the swing forward with his feet. They started off slow and set in silence for a few moments and just listened to the sounds of the country. Every now and again Sam would rub his arm that was wrapped around her waist up and down her side. She closed her eyes at his touched and thought about how much she really missed him the past few days. Thinking about this made her remember to asked him what she wanted to earlier at the park before he rushed her off home.

"So why are you here right now Sammy?" She asked not looking up.

"Because my best friend needed me." He simply said.

"But what about school?"

"I dropped a class or two and I am going to do the rest of them online ever now and then when something requires me to go to the campus I will simply make the four hour drive. It won't be that difficult I have it all figured out really."

"Sam this isn't right." She said sitting up to look at him. "I can't let you rearrange your whole life because of me."

"This is right and it was my decision. Like I said I have everything figured out so you don't need to worry your pretty lil head."

"I feel bad I mean you had a life before I came back and I am so happy that you have come back for me but I can't help but feel guilty and selfish." She said hanging her head down.

"Mercedes look at me." He said lifting her chin with his finger so that she could look him in the eyes. "You were pulled out of my life for almost eight years and I haven't wanted anything more than to be able to spend time with you. When you called me I felt bad because I couldn't answer but when I heard those voicemails you left the sound of your voice did something to me. It broke me and made me feel like I had let you down. I had to something because I couldn't live with myself if I knew I didn't at least try to make sure you never sounded like that again."

"Are you sure?" She asked as tears where starting to slowly run down her face.

"I have never been so sure of anything in my life. You are one of the most important people in my life and believe me when I tell you this that list is very, very, short."

"Thanks so much for coming back to me Sam." She smiled at him.

"I always will." He said as he wiped tears from her cheeks.

"Wait where are your grandparents?" She asked after a few moments of quiet.

"Well my grandfather passed away in 2007 and two years later my grandmother died also."

"I'm so sorry to hear that Sam I wish I could have been there for you."

"It not your fault."

"I'm sorry about all of it."

"All of what?"

"I heard about your dad." She said apologetically.

"What about him." She felt his hold on her stiffen.

"My parents told me he died. That he was killed by a drunk driver. I hate that you lost so much and I wasn't here to support you."

"Mercedes why…I don't understand…never mind forget it can we talk about something else please." She watched Sam as his jaw clenched and his whole mood changed. She figured he was still having a hard time dealing with his father's death because it happened not to long ago.

"You said you were in the Glee club right? Will you sing something to me?"

"Sure." He said still a little tense.

Sam began to sing the first couple of words of You Are My Sunshine and Mercedes laughed.

"What you use to love it when I used to sing it to you before." He sounded offended but a smile played at the corners of his lips.

"I did? Well if you say so then by all means Mr. Evans please continue."

He picked up where he left off and Mercedes snuggled comfortably in his arms within a few minutes she was sound asleep. He decided to move her to one of the guest rooms downstairs and when he placed her gently on the bed she stirred for a second and smiled at him in her sleep. He traced his finger along her face stopping last at her lips and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving the room so she could sleep in peace.

OOOOOOOOOO

Mercedes opened her eyes and was inside of a extra small dark space a tire was poking her in the side so she assume she was in a car trunk her legs and arms bond and tape was covering her mouth. She closed her eyes and prayed that he weren't taking her somewhere to kill her. For just a split second she did however think about how much easy it would be if he did just kill her. She wouldn't have to go through this constant torture and she wouldn't have to live her life knowing that someone had complete control over her wellbeing. But them she remembered the things that she had to live for. She had parents who loved her unconditionally and a sister who sometimes yes got on her nerves but was also more like her best friend. Then there was Sam she promised herself that if she made it out of this alive she wouldn't be afraid anymore to tell him how she really felt and she would confess her love for him regardless of the consequences. Going through this has made her realize that life is too short and she would learn to seize the moment. As she finished her last words of her prayer she felt the car come to a stop and her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to live, so if the plan was to kill her indeed she would do whatever it took to see that that didn't happened.

The trunk flew open and she was snatched out roughly. There were no words, just a deafening silence as they walk on what seem to be a dirt road. Their journey seem like it took forever and after a few minutes they stopped. She jumped slightly when she heard an object hit the ground.

"If I take off your tape will you promise not to scream?" The man asked.

Mercedes was scared the brave front she put on in the trunk quickly dissolved. She didn't know what to expect but she knew this wasn't usually how things went. He never asked her nicely. He would always threaten her with some form of punishment if she ever were to scream.

"Mercedes do you promise?" He asked again.

She nodded her head slowly as coherent thoughts left her mind. She did know that she loved this person talking to her. They had been a part of life once before and she couldn't fathom why they would go through such extreme measures to hurt her. He removed the tape slowly, carefully as not to hurt her. Once the tape was removed he apologized and rubbed his thumb across both of her lips. _Ok weird thing number two he was always more of a rip the band aid type never this gentle._

"You always had such soft perfect lips." He said then kissed her sweetly.

"Why?" She asked quietly, but didn't get an answer.

They removed her blindfold next and she squinted her eyes trying to adjust to the light but soon realize there wasn't any. It was dark and besides the flashlight her chaperone was carrying there wasn't any type of light.

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked frighten. Still no answer instead he just stared at her.

"Please?" She pleaded softly as they cupped her face moving closer to her.

"You were always so beautiful Shell and I will never forget you." He sounded sad which heighten her fear.

"Please let me go I swear not to speak a single word. I won't tell a soul if you just let me-"

He placed his fingers on her lips and shushed her. "I am not going to hurt you." he said rubbing his hand through her hair his face inches apart from hers and the flashlight was angled just right for her to see his face. He was quite handsome. She recognized his face but just like his voice she couldn't remember from where. His eyes were sad, cold, and his hair was a light sandy brown he couldn't have been more than five years older than her but his face showed signs that he lived a hard life. He kissed her gently on the forehead and she shuttered at his touch.

"Turn around." He told her.

"What? No!" Mercedes was scared. "Can we just go back home." She tried to sound sweet innocent. "I just want to relax while you hold me." She hated his touch when he would hold her like she was a baby, but she would do whatever he wanted if meant them leaving this place.

"I am going to cut you free, now turn around." His face looks sincere almost trusting and against her better judgment she slowly began to turn around. She could hear him moving behind her and heart started to rapidly beat through her chest.

"Don't be afraid everything is going to be okay." He didn't sound so close to her anymore and she thought maybe he was retreating and was keeping his word on letting her go.

"I'm sorry Mercedes. I will always love you." He said once more and she turned her head in suspicion. Before she could fully see what was going on she saw an object fly towards her head, a sharp pain shot to her temple, and the next second her body was on the ground.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mercedes woke out of her sleep in tears. She was so shook up she couldn't speak let along breath. She was gasping for air and her chest felt as if someone had reached in and grabbed her lungs. She was panting loudly while she clutched her chest. Sam worried from the sounds he heard from the living room rushed in and saw Mercedes hyperventilating in the bed. Sam sat in front of her in the bed and placed his hands one on each side of her face.

"Mercedes, Mercedes look at me. You have to breathe come on please Mercedes, baby please breathe." He shook her lightly. She was still gasping for air. "Mercedes you were having a dream it is me Sam please calm down breathe. Look into my eyes come on inhale, exhale just breathe." He was so scared. He didn't know what to think but he knew he had to remain calm for her.

She stared into the beautiful green eyes staring back at her and she listened to his voice as she tried to do what her was saying. She inhaled slowly then exhaled. She repeated that action several times as let Sam's smooth voice calmed her down. She hugged him, climbing onto her friend straddling his lap.

"Oh Sam it was seemed so real." She started bawling heavily in his shoulder.

"It's alright nobody is going to hurt you I got you. I swear on my life you are safe." He assured her.

When she finally calmed all the way down he got her a glass of water and asked her to explain what happened. She told Sam all about her dreams she had been having since he had left. She told him how the men looked familiar and that she had seen them somewhere before but she didn't know where. How one had left her for dead and how she tried to escape a couple of times. When she finished telling him, Sam face had an indescribable emotion on it. He looked sad, angry, betrayed, confused, and guilty all at the same time. He didn't say anything for some time and the silence was killing her.

"Sam say something please. What's going on?"

"I'm sorry." He said after a few more seconds of silence.

"For what it is not like you did this to me. I just wished I did know so they can stop haunting me." She said as she took another swig of water.

"Mercedes?"

"Huh?"

"Something you said earlier has been bugging me." Sam said nervously.

"Ok..."

"Your parents told you my father was killed by a drunk driver."

"Uh yes. They said a couple of months before they found me your dad got hit by a drunk driver coming home from work. I asked them a couple of weeks ago about it again because I felt bad. I wanted to go visit his grave but they said they didn't know where he was buried so I asked around town and I found the location of his grave. My parents took me there a few days before reconnected again to put some flowers on his grave and pay my respects."

"THEY DID WHAT!" Sam was livid and his hands shook with anger. "I can't believe they let you do that. What the hell were they thinking? Who in their right mind would do such a thing?"

"Sam what? What's so wrong about that?"

"Mercedes I have to tell you something." He looked directly at her and he looks terrified.

"Tell me." She took in his expression and it was scaring her. "Sam you are really starting to freak me out what's wrong?" She touched his face and he rested his head in her hands and closed his eyes.

"My dad wasn't killed by a drunk driver. Your parents lied to you."

"What? That doesn't make any sense why would they lie?" She said snatching her hand away.

"Because… well… I really don't know. But you were lied to."

"Fine, say my parents did lie how was your dad killed?" She said defensive. Her parents wouldn't lie to her about something like this and she couldn't believe that Sam would make such an accusation.

"He was stabbed to death."

"No, no, this can't be right. My parents wouldn't lie to me Sam you don't know what you are talking about."

"What I don't know what I am talking about1" Sam was angry now. "How the hell are you going to tell me that I do not know how my fucking father died? Who do you think went to identify the damn body, me! They found his body floating down the Lima canal but the coroner said he was already dead when someone dumped the body. He was stabbed twenty six times Mercedes. I saw the stab wounds with my own eyes."

Mercedes put her hands over her mouth in disbelief she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Why would they lie like that?"

"There are things that you don't know and I can't be the one to tell you." Sam said shaking his head. "I just know that your parents have not been truthful with you."

"What does that mean I need to know what the hell is going on? Tell me what is going on I am so sick and tired of everyone walking on eggshells trying to protect my feelings I just want to know the truth."

"I am sorry I can't, you need to talk to your parents Mercy."

"Fine!" She said getting off of the bed. "Let's go talk to them then."

"What now?"

"Yes now!"

"You want me to drop you off at home and you can call me later?" He asked following her out of the door.

"No you're going in with me and we are going to get to the bottom of this once and for all."

"Mercy I don't think that's a good idea." Sam said stopping on the front porch.

"GET IN THE GODDAMN CAR SAM NOW!" She yelled slamming her car once she was inside and Sam locked up the house. He drove Mercedes to her house without another word.

When they pulled up to her front yard he asked her one more time if she was sure but she just jumped out of the jeep and stormed to her door. Her parents, Candy, and Noah were already in the dining room getting ready for dinner when she walked in.

"Hey pumpkin just in time." He dad said placing silverware on the table.

"Mom dad could you make room for one more we are going to be having a special guest joining us for dinner?" She said calmly trying not to tip anyone off.

"Oh really who?" She heard her mother say.

"Sam. Sam Evans." She said just as Sam appeared behind her. The looks on everyone's faces told her just what she needed to know. There were some secrets that they were definitely hiding and she damn sure was going to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

**AN: Dum Dum Dum. I bet Sam was the last person they were expecting to see at their dining room table. What do you guys think is going to happen at this dinner and what all secrets do you think everyone is hiding? How do you think our Mercedes is going to react when she finds out the truth and what do you guys think about her day with Sam. Please review and tell me what you think I am looking forward to it. Peace and love**  
**Tdminor**


	5. Lies My Parents Told Me

**AN: Hey guys sorry it took so long to update but I had to do an Honesty Always update first. Then when I was ready to do this one, halfway through my finger got stuck on the backspace button and deemed it not good enough. ****Now I just want to say thank you so much to all who have read, reviewed and favorite. I love all of the feedback and getting those alerts sent to me.**** I took a different approach on how I wrote this chapter because I didn't want to lay all of the dinner on you at once. So I hope you guys like this chapter it is a lot and maybe it will answer a few questions. As always please review and enjoy. Sorry for any mistakes.**

**Warning this chapter does a small mention of rape.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter 5: **Lies My Parents Told Me.**

* * *

"_Paging Doctor Barnett to Pediatrics." "Paging Doctor Barnett to Pediatrics."_

Sam sat with his head down between his hands. The sterile smell of the waiting room was making him nauseous. He hated hospitals and he hated them with a passion. Nothing good ever came out his visits. It had become a painful pattern starting back when he was just the tender age of five. The first was his father's mother Gram Aileen she went in for surgery on her hip and died on the table. A year later her husband Richard had a heart attack and though he was alive when he arrived to the emergency room he died a couple of hours later. When he was nine his mother went into labor with his sister Stacey but she died during delivery when the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. Next was his uncle on his mom side Travis, then his cousin Jake, followed his mother's parents. He had come to the conclusion that he was some type of hospital bad luck charm or maybe he was just cursed. This particular trip to the hospital would be one of his most difficult ones, especially if it turned out to end like the rest. He wouldn't be able to survive losing someone else he cared about. He had been waiting for over an hour now for somebody, anybody to come and tell him what the hell was going on. He spent the last hour going over the events leading up to this precise moment and also praying that God would have some type of sympathy.

OOOOOOOOO

"Mom, dad could you make room for one more we are going to be having a special guest joining us for dinner?"

"Oh really who?" Sam heard Mercedes' mother say.

"Sam. Sam Evans." She said just as Sam appeared behind her.

The looks on the faces of the Jones family was priceless as if they had seen a ghost. Sam became more nervous than before and he was sure that the only thing that could come out of this dinner was disaster. Her father walked over to the two friends and he patted Sam on the back displaying what had to be the most fake grin in the history of grins.

"Sam my boy good to see you it has been what two, three years." Marc Jones said patting him on the back.

He looked over and saw Mercedes rolled her eyes at her dad's obvious false enthusiasm.

"Nice to see you too Mr. Jones." Sam said.

"Well this certainly is a surprise." Delia said placing a huge bowl of mashed potatoes down on the table. "How did this happen?"

"Well I went into the Lima Bean to take a break from walking and there I was sipping on my latte. I look up and there he was sitting at the table across from me." Mercedes said as calmly as she could. "What are the odds?"

"Yeah what are the odds?" Her mother said not convinced.

Sam said hello to Candace and Noah and then asked if he could help with anything but Mrs. Jones denied with a phony smile. You could feel the tension in the room and Mercedes wasn't making things better by getting more and more annoyed with each passing second. Sam was nervous as hell he didn't know what to expect. Was telling Mercedes the truth about her parents lying going to blow up in his face? He asked himself a thousand questions. He didn't know much about her recovery or how far she had gotten in her therapy sessions, or was this the right time for her to find out everything. His mind was yelling at him that he was so stupid. He had to go and open his big mouth; better yet he should have just stayed in Kentucky. But no he had to come back and try to be the hero that he failed to be all those years ago. He had to save the girl but was he really saving her? "_No don't do this to yourself Sam she needs to know the truth before things get to out of hand. Her parents are crazy and you are doing the right thing." _ He thought.

"Ok everything is ready let's eat." He heard her mother say and he pushed all thoughts of self-doubt to the back of his mind and took a seat next to Mercedes at the dinner table.

OOOOOOOOO

"Sam! Sam! Where is she? Is she okay what are the doctors saying?" Sam looked up and saw Candace and her husband Noah making their way towards him. He stood up just as they made it to him and she embraced him.

"Thank you for calling me." She said as she took a seat next to him.

"You're welcome. I had to call someone but I didn't think she would want to see them." He told her.

"You thought right. I am not exactly high up on her list of favorite people right now but I am the lesser of the three evils. What happen?"

"I don't know one minute she was crying on my shoulder and the next she was shaking uncontrollably. I panicked when her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she fainted." He said with a shaky voice. "I call 911 but she had passed out again before they arrived. This is my entire fault." He said as the tears he was holding back started to fall down his face.

"No it's not Sam." Candace said consoling him. "You can't blame yourself."

"But I do. If I hadn't said anything to her then none of this would have happen. Mercedes wouldn't be mad at you or your parents and she wouldn't be back at the hospital right now."

"You can't put this all on you." Noah said. "Her parents, if you can even call them that, started this."

"Noah's right, she needed to know the truth Sam. I told my parents that what they were doing was going to blow up in their faces and they didn't take heed to my warning. She was bound to find out one way or the other whether it by someone telling her or by memory. You couldn't have known that this was going to happen after everything went down at that dinner. If anything my parents are to blame for this and them alone."

OOOOOOOOO

"So Sam, how are things going in Kentucky?" Candace asked him as she cut into her meatloaf.

"Um good things are good." He answered.

"Speaking of school how are you even here right now? Shouldn't you be there now? Mrs. Jones asked a bit of bitterness to her to her tone. "Or did you drop out?"

"No ma'am I didn't. I am doing this semester online so that I can take care of a few things here in Lima without having to travel back and forth so much."

"That seems like a lazy way of doing things don't you think?"

"Delia!" Her husband said and he cut his eyes at her.

"What? I am just saying. You are going to school to be an architect right? So if I was looking for someone to build my business I would hired the person who put forth the effort to work hard for four years instead of the one who decided to lollygag and do a few semesters online. I mean in my day we didn't have the option of staying at home playing video games and sitting in front of the computer for an hour and call it class."

"Well thank goodness we aren't in your day then huh mom?" Candace spoke trying to turn her mother's focus off of a noticeably nervous Sam. "I took a few of my classes online and I am still one of the best tax attorneys at my firm. Does that make me lazy?"

Her mother didn't say anything she just took another bite of her food and glared at her eldest daughter. While Mercedes, Sam, and Puck tried their best to hide their smiles.

"So we had to airlift a man to the hospital yesterday." Noah said trying to lighten the mood. "Thirty years old with 60% of his body burned. Apparently he thought it was a good idea to set a new world record of being on fire for the longest. Problem was he didn't have all of the proper gear to keep the fire from reaching his skin."

"Noah is a pilot for the hospital and he also is a part time nurse." Candace explained to Sam and she laughed at her husband's sweet attempt but her mother didn't find anything amusing. Her sights stayed between Mercedes and her surprised guest.

"Sam, how is your mother doing?" Her father asked. "I heard she got remarried."

"Yes sir she married my old Glee club mentor Will Shuester. He got a better paying job in Tennessee so they moved there."

"That's nice to hear I haven't seen her in a while make sure you tell I said hello and congratulations."

"I will."

Mercedes was the only person at the table who hadn't said a single word. Her focus was on her mother and father. She had barely ate her food and she was looking like she was about to explode. Sam reached out and placed a calming hand on her knee. She looked up at him and gave what he believed to be a forced smile. Candace saw the small interaction between the two and knew something was definitely wrong and shit was about to hit the fan. She heard her mother call her sister's name but no answer.

"Mercedes? Mercedes Me'shell Jones!"

OOOOOOOOO

"Mercedes Jones?" Candace, Noah, and Sam sat up and saw a doctor walking their way. The three stood and met him halfway.

"Are you three here for Mercedes Jones?" He asked.

"Yes." Sam spoke first.

"Hi I am Dr. Rutherford. May I ask who here is family?"

"We all are I am her sister Candace and this is my husband Sam." She said as she grabbed his hand. "And this is her brother Noah. Is she okay?"

"Well your sister is awake now. She had an anxiety attack but she is going to be fine. We gave her some medicine to try to decrease her shaking, also to calm her down and she should be able to go home in a few hours. She needs to get plenty of rest."

"Can we see her?" Sam asked.

"Yes but maybe you should go in one at a time. You wouldn't want to crowd her."

"Ok thank you so much Matt." Puck said shaking his hand he had seen him around the hospital a few times.

The doctor said he would be back later to check on Mercedes one last time and then he left to finish up his rounds.

"Why did you say I was your husband?" Sam asked confused.

"Exactly what part of the family were you going to be Sam?" She replied. "Noah was more believable as family than you so it was easier this way. Why don't you go and see her first and Noah and I will wait out here okay."

"Thank you." Sam said and hugged her before walking to Mercedes room.

When Sam made it to her room he knocked first and slowly pushed the door open. When he saw Mercedes sit up and look his way he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. She smiled at him weakly before patting the space next to her on the bed for him to join her. Sam didn't move he just stood by the door and shook his head with tears welling up on his eyes.

"Sam what's wrong?" Mercedes sat up more and was concerned for her friend.

"I thought I lost you again. I was so scared out of my mind Mercedes. Hospitals and I don't have the best history."

"I'm fine Sam." She said softly.

"No no you're not. You are in here because of me. You were taken because of me. Everything bad that has happened in your life has been because of me." He said crying full on now.

"Sam." She tried to reason with him.

"Don't. Don't you dare say it is not because we both it is." He was crying heavily his shoulders slumped and his knees grew weak. "You would've lived a happy full life. You wouldn't have missed out on being a teenager. I did this to you. If I wouldn't have been your friend th..."

"Stop Sam just stop saying this is your fault because it is not." She said loudly. "You had no idea that any of this was going to happen you didn't know what he was capable of. I don't blame you for what he did."

OOOOOOOOO

"Mercedes!" Her mother called her name for the fifth time.

"Yes?" She said sharply.

"What has gotten into you? You have hardly touched your food and you haven't said two words since you set at the dinner table."

"I'm not hungry."

"Well you have to eat something. Try the meatloaf or some of your peas."

"Why because you said so mom?"

"Excuse me?" Her mother said as a warning for her to watch her tone.

"Why do I have to eat my food? Why can't you just say fine and leave it alone? If I am not hungry than I shouldn't have to eat."

"Mercedes I don't what has gotten into you but it needs to make it's exit in a hurry."

"Or what you're going to lie to me again?" She said under her breath but still louder enough for them to hear.

"What does that mean?" Her father said.

Sam's fork fell out of his hands at Mercedes words and Candace choke a little on her drink, causing Noah to pat her back to calm her down.

"You know what I am sorry mom. You are right something is wrong with me. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." She said.

"I accept your apology. Now what is the problem?"

"I have been dishonest with you and dad about something."

"What?" He dad asked.

"I lied."

"You lied." Her mother looked directly at Sam automatically putting the blame on him.

"I said _**I**_ lied mom not Sam, so you should be shooting death glares at me not him. I didn't go for a walk around town today and I didn't just run into Sam."

"Mercedes, I can't believe what I am hearing this isn't like you." Her father said.

"Well where were you?" Her mother asked.

"I was with Sam at his grandparents' house."

Her mother went to say something else but Mercedes held her hand up to stop her.

"There is more. You know I said I had been going to the park to read? Well I was going there to actually meet Sam. I have been seeing him ever since that first day I went to the park." She confessed.

"What! You were doing what!" Her mother said outraged.

"Whew! There I said it now I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. It feels so good to finally admit the truth and stop lying to your faces." She said sarcastically looking dead at her parents. "Now does anyone else have something they need to get off there chest. A lie or secret they have been keeping perhaps?"

"Oh Shit!" Candace said quietly as she placed her hand to her forehead shaking it.

"Mercedes what are you talking about?" He mother asked.

"I think if there are any more lies now would be a good time to let them loose with no hard feelings." Her hands were shaking and her voice was flat. Sam reached and grabbed her hand under the table to let her know he was there for her. She eyed her mother like she was an opponent in a game of Russian roulette.

"Well there was this one time..."

"Noah, not really the time baby. Just drop it." Candace spoke stopping her husband.

"Mom? Dad? Is there anything you need to tell me?" Mercedes said angry.

"Mercedes maybe we should just forget it." Sam said second guessing this.

"No Sam I want to know."

"Know what? What the hell is going on with you two?" Her mother said. What the hell did you do Sam? What kind of lies have you been feeding my baby?"

"Me! I am not the one who lied to her Mrs. Jones." Sam said.

"What is he talking about Mercedes?" He dad asked confused.

"How did Sam's dad die?" She asked.

Her father's face drained of all emotion and color as he look at his daughter and then at his wife. She had looked at Mercedes as if she had spoken some type of foreign language.

"I know he wasn't killed by a drunk driver." Mercedes said.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Her mother lied again.

"Stop lying mom." Candace said. "She obviously knows the truth so just tell her or I will."

"So it's true then you lied to me. Why?"

"Mercedes this is complicated honey you aren't ready for this." Her mother said.

"I agree." Her father added.

"Somebody tell me what is going on. Sam? Candace? Somebody please?" She begged.

"One day my mom told me to go and clean out the basement after my father had moved all his things out." Sam started.

"Sam shut up!" Her mother screamed.

"No, she has the right to know Delia let the boy finish." Mr. Jones said defeated.

"I don't know of you remember or not but my father had a workshop down there. He wouldn't let me or my mom go down there; he said it was too dangerous. Well the night of the big Valentine dance in eight grade I gave you a charm bracelet." Sam said trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. "When I was cleaning out the basement I saw something shiny in the corner sticking out from behind a bookshelf. I went to see what it was and it was the charm bracelet."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Mercedes asked.

"Well I was the last person to see you before you were taken Mercedes." Sam said.

"Ok... So what. I don't understand." She said confused.

"You were wearing that bracelet."

"What? Wait wait hold up I am confused. What are you saying Sam?"

"Before my father left nobody went in the basement of my house except my father Mercedes, nobody."

"Wait I...you...this. Are you telling me that your father had something to do with my kidnapping?"

"Yes. I am. He had to. How else did that bracelet get down there?"

"Oh my God! I don't...this can't be happening…. this isn't really happening." She said as tears ran down her face.

"Mercedes honey." Her mother spoke.

"No no no no no." She kept repeating shaking her head over and over. "I..wait a minute you knew?" She asked her parents.

"Mede listen yes your father and I knew about it."

"Is that why you lied? Is that why you told me he was killed by a drunk driver because he was the one who did this to me."

Her mother stood up and walked to her end of the table. She tried to put her arm around her but Mercedes shook it off.

"Oh my God!" Mercedes said with tears in her eyes. "I asked you guys if you knew what happened. If you knew who did this to me and you point blank lied to my face."

"Merc-"

"NO! Dad I just wanted you and mom to be honest with me and you couldn't even do that. I… oh no wait a minute. Is that why you guys said you didn't know where he was buried? Wait wait wait you took me to put flowers on his grave. OH MY GOD! I think I am going to be sick." She said holding her stomach.

Her mother reached out for her again and she stood stepping away from her. Her sister Candace was crying as she watched the scene unfold while Sam and Noah didn't know what to do.

"Don't. Touch. Me. I don't know who you are right now. You and dad stood there and watched me grieve for this man! You watched me put flowers on his grave and you said nothing! She screamed. "You stood there and saw me shed a tear for him and all along you know he was the one who took seven years of my life away from me!"

"We thought this was the best way. We thought it was too soon for you to know the truth. We were only trying to protect you." Her mother said.

"The best way! The best way for who mom? Do you hear yourself right now? You let me put flowers on the grave of the man who beat me, starved me, raped me, and chained me to a bed over and over and over again until he got tired." She winced as she thought about all those years of being a prisoner. "The angry one."

"What? Her parents said.

"You both can go to hell. You don't deserve to call yourself parents."

"Mercy! I tried to tell them to just tell you the truth." Candace said.

"You knew too didn't you?"

"Yes." Her sister admitted.

"Well you can go to hell right along with them."

"I can't sit here and listen to this. Who are you?" Noah said getting up. "And you Candy, how could you let them do this to her? You are just as guilty as them." She tried to grab his arm to stop him. "No I can't even look at you right now." He said as he walked out of the dining room and out the front door with Candace on his tail.

"I'm leaving too." Sam said. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this Mercedes I really am." He grabbed his coat and keys to leave.

"Wait." Mercedes said. "I am coming with you. Can I stay with you? I can't stay here anymore."

"Of course."

"Mercedes please we can fix this." Her father pleaded.

"No there is nothing you can do to repair this dad. From this moment on you and mom are as good as dead to me and I don't ever want to see or talk to you again. Can you help me pack a few things Sam I want to get out of here as soon as possible?"

"Sure."

"We can't just let her walk out like this. We have to do something to stop her." Her mother cried as she and Sam carried her bags to the front door. She didn't say a single word or even looked towards her parents as she walked out the door.

OOOOOOOOO

"Sam?" Mercedes called out to him but he didn't answer her. He was still standing by the door. "Am I going to have to come over there and get you?"

Sam made his way to her bedside and laid down on the spot next to her. He glanced up at her face and she looked tired. His best friend had been through so much these last few days and he couldn't help but feel partially responsible. He rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Thank you Sam." She said.

"For what?"

"Being here for me. Taking care of me. You didn't call my parents did you?"

"No but I did call Candace." He answered worried. "She and Noah are outside waiting. She is really worried about you. Do you want to see her?"

"No not really. I am still upset with her."

"Maybe you should forgive her Mercedes." Sam said taking her hand in his.

"No she lied just like my parents did. I just can't forgive her that quickly."

"What do you want me to tell her then?"

"Tell her that I am fine, but right now I really don't want to see her."

"They said I can take you home in a couple of hours. Are you sure that feeling better?"

"Yes I just got overwhelmed. Today was too much to take in. I just need to relax and forget that today even happened."

"If that is what you want to do then that's what we will do."

After lying with Mercedes for a couple of more minutes he decided to go and talk to Candace and let her know what was going on. When he walked to the waiting room the first person her saw was Mrs. Jones. She walked straight up to Sam and slapped him.

"This is all your fault." She said angrily. "If you would have just kept your damn mouth shut none of this would have happened."

Her husband grabbed her hand as she went to slap his face again.

"Delia calm down."

"Is that why you are here Sam? Are you going to try and weasel your way back into my daughter's life? You just couldn't leave well enough alone could you? She was doing fine before you came back."

Sam was trying his best to be respectful but sitting here listening to her blame him for her lies was making him angrier by the second.

"You have ruined her life Sam. You and that no good pedophile of a father of yours. I always knew that man was trouble and so are you. You are just like him."

"I ruined her life? I am not the one who lied to her and went so far as to let her visit the grave of the sicko who did this to her to keep up with the lie. So if anybody has ruined her life it is you." He spat. "I love her. I have always loved her and I am going to take care of her. I am going to see that she gets through this and whatever she decides to do I will support her one hundred percent."

"You're a fool Sam. You actually think that she will be able to live with you for long? Your father did this to her. You may have looked like your mother when you were younger, but now you have quite a few of your dad's features including his green eyes. How long do you think she is going to be able to be around you with you looking like him huh? I give it a week and she will be right back home with me and her father where she belongs. You may love her Sam, but you are forgetting one thing I am her mother and mother always knows best."

Sam just stared at her. He really didn't know what to say. What he did know that her words was something that he thought of ever since he had reunited with Mercedes. Now that she knows the truth would she resent him because of his father's doings?

"You know what I am done talking to you just take me to my daughter." Her mother said interrupting his thoughts.

"She doesn't want to see you." Candace said coming into the waiting room. "You or dad."

"You saw her?" Sam asked hopeful.

"No but Noah is with her and he left the door cracked and I heard them talking."

"Candace right now I am going to need you to..."

"No mom you listen to me. I warned you. I did. I told you that this was going to end badly and it did. You never took the time to figure out what it was that me and Mercy wanted you just always did what you thought was the best for us no matter who was hurt in the process. I went along with your ridiculous lie and Mercedes doesn't want to talk to me and it almost cost me my marriage."

OOOOOOOOO

"Noah please don't leave me you are all I have left." Candace tried to plead with her husband as he was packing a bag in the bedroom of their home.

"I can't stay here with you Candace I can't."

"My mother made me keep this secret!"

"You are twenty six years old! What was she going to do you ground you? Put you in time out?" He yelled.

"I wanted to tell her I really did but she kept saying she was going to tell her in due time."

"Why not tell me then? Why keep it from me?" He asked zipping up a duffle bag.

"Because I didn't want you to be a part of this whole fucked up mess." She cried. "I just..."

"That's not an excuse. We never lie to each other Can-Can and you know it. No matter how fucked up things are we never lie to each other." He grabbed the bag and was heading towards the door when she stood in front of him to stop him.

"Please baby please I am so sorry. I can't be alone especially not now." She said hugging him.

"I just need some time to think. I am going to go and stay with Finn for a few days." He kissed her gently on the forehead and stepped around her to leave.

"Ten years Noah, ten years. We have always talked things out and worked through them." She said.

"This is something we just can't talk out." He said and walked out the door. When he was halfway down the steps he heard his wife called out to him.

"Even if I am pregnant?" The duffle bag Noah was holding dropped to the ground.

OOOOOOOOO

"I have put up with your foolishness for twenty six years now and I am through, done. Now that I am going to be a mother myself I do not need you poisoning another child's life." Candace told her mother.

"What did you say? You're pregnant?" Her father spoke.

"Yes I am dad and I am going to make sure that my child doesn't go through the same things I had to. Which means you and mom aren't going anywhere near him or her. So as far as me and my family are concerned, unless it is a life or deaf situation you two need not to darken my doorway again. Don't show up expecting to see me or my child cause it won't happen." She turned her attention to Sam. "Come on Sam Mercedes needs you."

"So you're going to be a mom congrats." Sam said as they headed back to Mercedes' room.

"Yeah thanks. I was going to announce it at dinner but you know things changed."

"Yea."

"Do me a favor Sam? Make sure you take good care of my sister." She said crying. "I know you have always loved her. Just make sure she has the time of her life."

"I will. I promise." He said hugging her.

"Oh and Sam?"

"Yes."

"Please don't tell her about my baby."

"What, why?"

"I don't want her to think I am using this as an excuse for her to forgive me because she is going to be an aunt. I will tell her soon. Right now she just needs to have a carefree life. She has been through so much. I want her to forgive me on her own terms."

"Ok. I understand." He said hugging her again. They stood in the hallway embraced until Noah appeared.

"She was asking for you." He said to Sam. "The doctor came back and she convinced slash threatened him to let go home so she is ready."

"Thanks for seeing her for me baby." Candace said.

You're welcome. How about you? You ready to go? You need to get some rest."

"Yeah. Thanks again Sam."

"No problem."

An hour later Sam and Mercedes pulled up to his grandparents' house. Against her protest Sam carried Mercedes the entire way to her room.

"You want anything?" He asked. "Juice, tea, some water, or maybe some food. "I can cook something or if you have a special request I can go to the store."

"No Sam! I am fine stop being a worry wart." She said getting comfortable in the bed.

"You sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

She laid down and closed her eyes. Sam went to leave the room when she called his name.

'Yeah Rogue?" He answered.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" She asked softly.

"Yes but only if you promise not to snore." He said eliciting a giggle out of her and it was the best sound he had heard all day. He lies down beside her in the bed and she snuggled close to him wrapping her arms around him.

"Sing me a song Sammy."

"You are my sunshine. My only sunshine." He sang to her until she fell asleep wrapped in the protection of his arms.

* * *

**AN: So that was chapter five. I hope you guys liked it. What did you think of the way I did the happenings of the dinner was it confusing or were you able to keep up with it. Some of you think Noah is kidnapper number two. Hm only time will tell. Also some think Mercedes momma killed Sam's father very interesting but I will say that won't be revealed for a while. Tell me what you guys think and let me know if it something you guys hope to see. Do you guys want more Noah and Candace and do you want to see how The Jones are handling their kids both being done with them? Also keep letting me know who you guys think the other person is and who killed daddy Evans. As always please review I enjoy reading your thoughts. And I wanted to give a shout out to ****lovessamcedes**** if you haven't read her story A Friend Long Gone it is a great read and you should go and check it out. **** Till next time.-tdminor86**

**Next chapter. Sam goes to see Emma with Mercedes and we get to venture into some of Sam's past.**


	6. Secrets Of The Past and Present

**AN: Hey guys thanks so much for all of the wonderful reviews. Thanks to everyone who added to favorite and alerts. The next three chapters will answer a lot of questions so I will try to get them to you in a timely manner. Thanks so much to Sorce and lovessamcedes for the PMs you sent with all your wonderful words of encouragement. I really appreciate it. With further ado here is chapter six. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think and sorry for any mistakes. Flashbacks are in Italics.  
**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter 6:** Secrets of the Past and Present.**

* * *

The last three weeks had been different. Mercedes was trying to get use to the fact that she was no longer living at her parents' home. She didn't miss them. While at least not her mother. Her dad lied to her also but she had a feeling that it was only because her mother coerced him into it. She still didn't want to talk or see him or her. Sam had been helping her a lot by keeping her busy. He always found something for them to do. He let her sit in with him during his online classes and she watched him with amazement. There was so much that she had missed out on and she wanted to make sure she was up to speed. Sam crushed her when he told her that Michael Jackson died. She remembered her and Sam dressing up like Diana Ross and Michael Jackson's characters from the movie The Wiz one year from Halloween. Sam confirmed it by showing her some of the pictures they took in one of his scrapbooks. Sam had kept everything including the charm bracelet that he found in his basement.

Sam was good about answering any questions she may have had. He didn't shelter her like her mother and father did but, she could tell that he was still holding back some things that he wasn't quite ready to share with her. She didn't have any room to make judgments because she herself was also hiding some things from him. She didn't let him know that she was starting to remember a lot more than what she had claimed. These were things that she really didn't want to address. She found herself struggling to come up with an adequate reason for why.

One of her theories was that she was afraid. Afraid that Sam would see her as damaged goods and would want to cut his ties with her and be done. They had been separated for seven plus years. He didn't have any obligation to her and she felt lucky that Sam wanted to try and rekindle their friendship. That theory was getting more and more ridiculous which each passing day. Sam never made her feel uncomfortable and there were never any awkward moments between them.

Her second theory was that she didn't want to dwell on the past. Emma and her doctor both told her in order to make a full recovery she needed to venture into her past. Sure she read her journal and Sam would take time every other day and pull out his scrapbooks but, those things didn't have anything to do with the past that she needed to remember. She figured if she would just pretend like this was her second chance at life, her rebirth she called it, then there was no need to open up old wounds. However that was really hard to do when her dreams were practically throwing her past at her every other night.

Her last theory was her newest one. Finding out that Sam's father was one of the men who had done those things to her, and her parent's betrayal was an unexpected turn of events. She thought if she kept digging into her past she would find more things that threaten to jeopardize her relationship with not only her family but Sam. Her friendship with him had suffered too much already. She didn't know why she felt this way but there was something that was eating away at her. A certain nagging feeling that yelled proceed with caution at her the more she uncovered the truth. One thing she was certain of was spending these last three weeks with Sam she was starting to feel like a preteen again. He helped bring her childhood back and right along with that returned her feelings she had for him.

She wasn't going to address them at all. She had her reasons as to why. She had just got him back a month ago and she didn't want to scare him off with talks of being his girlfriend. She wasn't sure if the feelings were a result of her recapturing her past and the thirteen year old in her still had that crush. She also thought it could be what she likes to call fairytale syndrome. Sam came in and swept her up like one of those princes you see in those Disney movies, where he saves the damsel in distress. Maybe she was just fortunate to have someone like him in her life and she felt the need to be with him. Not only that, she wasn't sure that she could even be a girlfriend to anyone at the moment. She just wanted to explore all the things she missed out on and do reckless stuff. Things that she wasn't able to do on account of her being held prisoner for the past seven years. She missed out on being a carefree teenager and deep down inside she wanted to not have to worry about anything at all except being Mercedes and living life to the fullest. So, she decided to push all thoughts of liking Sam to the back of her mind.

Before she started this brand new quest living life, she knew there was something that she had to do. She needed to speak to Emma and make sure that she was making the right decisions. Emma was someone that she knew would tell it like it is with no bullshit and that was what she needed. She needed someone to vent to besides Sam but she also needed Emma's help answering some of the harder questions that Sam had been asking her. She wanted Sam to join her on her next visit so he could get a clear understanding on how she felt.

Sam had some errands he needed to tend to in town so she took the opportunity to think of ways to convince him to go with her to her appointment to see Emma the morning after tomorrow. She thought about bribery but what did she have to actually bribe him with. Then she thought about tricking him into going but the more she leaned towards that idea the more she couldn't help but feel like she was being dishonest and lying and she had enough of that lately. She went into the kitchen and search around for something to eat as she tried to clear her head. As she went through the cabinets and refrigerator she made up her mind on what to do about Sam. Grabbing a pack of ground beef out of the fridge she quickly works to put her plan in motion.

* * *

Sam made it to The Lima Bean and found him a table at the back. He had some catching up to do on some of his classes and he needed to focus. He could've easily done all of this at home but he keep finding himself distracted. He was already regretting leaving Mercedes alone at his grandparents' house but he needed some time to himself. Ok that was a lie Sam was trying to avoid her. Mercedes wasn't overstaying her welcome or anything and she was hardly a bother. She didn't do much talking unless he initiated the conversation, but it was what she wasn't intentionally doing that was driving Sam nuts. Her mother's words from the night at the hospital were on constant replay like a song stuck on repeat. He wanted so badly to believe that Mercedes wouldn't compare him to his dad. She had to have known that he would never do anything to hurt her.

He had so many thoughts running through his mind some were inappropriate while others was his sheer curiosity. The inappropriate ones started a week ago when he accidentally walked in on Mercedes as she getting dressed once she had finished taking a shower. His sneak peek of her wearing nothing but some fancy lace underwear only lasted about three seconds but it was more than enough to make him on edge. She was completely different than the Mercedes that he had known all those years ago. She was woman and the thoughts that he was having made him feel like some type of pervert. He remembered the first time he had actually noticed Mercedes in a different way.

OOOOOOOOOO

_Since Sam and Mercedes were both going to the sweethearts' dance they decided to go looking for something to wear together. They went to several stores around the mall and Sam found something easy, but Mercedes didn't see anything that caught her eye. They found themselves inside of Carol's Boutique, a little shop downtown in the square. Mercedes was trying on her third dress and Sam was on his last ounce of patience._

_"Rogue really is it so hard to pick out a dress, try it on, and say cool this is it?" Sam huffed outside the dressing room door. "I mean this is getting ridiculous. I never took you as a Ms. Prissy."_

_"I am not a priss Samuel. I just hate dresses and I always feel like nothing looks right on me."_

_"I'm sure you will look fine now get your butt out here so we can go."_

_"Yes dad!" She said sarcastically._

_After two more minutes of waiting Mercedes ascended from the dressing room in an orange puffy dress. Sam's first thought had been that of a peach and he couldn't help the snicker that escaped his mouth._

_"Is something funny Sam?" She asked annoyed._

_"No. Nope." He tried to say coolly but he ended up laughing even more when she began to glare at him._

_"Ugh you are so rude Sam. This is exactly why I can't commit on finding a dress."_

_"You can't blame this on me."_

_The owner of the shop joined them and asked if they needed any help._

_"No." Mercedes said the same time Sam said, "Yes ma'am please."_

_"What's the occasion?" The owner asked._

_"A valentine dance at school." Sam answered._

_"I see. Well for starters your girlfriend has got the color all wrong. I'm sorry and please don't take this the wrong way but, you dear look like a peach."_

_"That's what I said!" Sam chimed._

_Neither went to correct her on calling Mercedes his girlfriend the two were always together and people would always assume. They grew tired of having to explain their relationship so a while back they just gave up and agreed to just go with it._

_"How about I show you a few suggestions? It looks to me that you have a more curvy body so instead of finding dresses that are meant to cover them up let's find those that divulge them."_

_Mercedes went into the changing room and the owner search the racks pulling a couple of choices and she handed them to a waiting Mercedes. Two dresses later Mercedes emerged from the room and Sam looked up expecting another disaster, but when he glanced at his longtime friend, he let out an audible gasp. She was beautiful. He had always thought she was a cute girl but seeing her today like this he noticed for the first time how beautiful she really was. The dress she wore was red with black straps that connected behind her neck instead of on her shoulders. The straps curve along the shape of her chest with a bow sitting along top. The dress flared out at the bottom which stops right above her knees. Sam was staring as all types of thoughts flooded his mind at once. None to his surprise were dirty but those of love or potential love. He imagined them doing this same thing again for their senior and junior prom but they would be going together as boyfriend and girlfriend. They would dance the night away sharing kisses during the slow songs where he held her close to him. Then he imagined her shopping for a wedding dress with their moms for their wedding day. He imagined their life as husband and wife and the beautiful kids they would have. Sam was yanked out of his daydream by Mercedes snapping her fingers in his face._

_"Sam are you in there?" She asked. "Let me guess this one looks bad too."_

_"Um...no it's perfect, you're perfect." He said still staring deep in her eyes._

_"Thanks.". She said and she was glad her chocolate skin didn't allow him to see the blushing she was doing from his words._

"_Oh wonderful!" The shop owner praised. "Doesn't she look amazing?"_

"_Yea. She does." Sam said with his eyes locked on Mercedes._

OOOOOOOOO

"Great." Sam muttered to himself. "I get away from her to get her out my mind and I still think about her."

He runs his hands through his hair and lays his head down on the table trying to clear his head. A couple of minutes later his head jerks up at the sound of his name. When he looks up he sees Marc Jones standing in front of him.

"I didn't mean to scare you son." He said.

"No it's fine."

He took the seat across from Sam whom suddenly became nervous.

"Look Mr. Jones I-" Sam began.

"Sam I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to ask you how Mercy was doing. I miss her a lot."

"She is doing as well as she can. She still has nightmares sometimes."

"Does she seem to be getting any better? Has she been going to see Emma each week?"

"No not really. She hasn't been since she's been with me. I didn't know she was supposed to go each week." Sam answered honestly.

Mr. Jones sat there in silence for a moment. He was worried about his baby girl and he wanted to see her badly. He knew the time wasn't right because he was having his own problems at the moment.

"She misses you." Sam told him.

"Really? I can't see why." Mister Jones said surprised.

"I don't believe she misses your wife but you, yes I can tell. She will actually mention you or say your name. Mrs. Jones on the other hand is known as 'that woman'." He chuckled.

Mr. Jones smiled at Sam's comment also. Well Sam I won't take up anymore or your time. Take good care of my baby."

"Will do sir." Sam said and Mr. Jones left the table. After another hour of half working Sam gave and decided to just go home.

* * *

When he walked into the front door the smell of food being cook was in the air. He went into the kitchen and saw Mercedes sitting on top of the counter with a large wooden spoon in her hands.

"Sam you're back." She smiled at him.

"Yeah. What are you doing Mercedes?" He asked confused.

"Making us some lunch. I thought I would make burgers and fries but seeing as if you didn't have any potatoes I opted on burgers and Mac and cheese."

"Ok... I'll go and wash up then."

When Sam returned she had just got done putting the finishing touches on their lunch. She made them both a plate and they set and began to eat. Sam tried the macaroni first. It was not his favorite thing in the world and the look on his face must have tipped Mercedes off.

"You hate it." She said putting her fork down.

"No I...just think it is missing something."

"Missing something? Are you sure I followed the directions exactly." She said with a pout.

"Well you taste it."

She picked her fork back up, stabbed a few of the cheesy noodles and placed them in her mouth. Sam watched as she took her first two bites and spit the rest out in her napkin.

"I see." She said defeated.

Sam couldn't help but laugh at her. She playfully pushed his arm but then joined in on the laughter.

"I'm so sorry I don't ever recall making macaroni before." She said once their laugh died down.

"It's fine. If I remember correctly grilled cheese and homemade pizza was your specialty." Sam told her.

"I'll remember that for next time."

"What's this all about?"

"I just wanted to do something nice for you that's all. You know a thank you for letting me crash here." She said fiddling her fingers.

"I thought we've been through this already Rogue."

"What?" She said her voice a little too high.

"What!" Sam said mocking her. "You can't lie to me. I can always tell." He walked to her side of the table and kneeled in front of her. "Now speak."

"I...I..." She rushed out.

"Say what?"

"I haven't been to therapy since the day you came back. I skipped my last three appointments and I really need to talk to Emma and I want you to go with me."

Sam knew she needed to go but he was curious as to why she wanted him to go with her. He immediately thought the worst. Was what he said true and this was her way of letting him know was through Emma? He shook those thoughts out of his head and stared at the brown eyes looking down on him.

"When?" He asked.

"I set up an appointment with Emma for the day after tomorrow if that is okay with you?"

The way she looked at him with such hope in her eyes there was no way that he could tell her no.

"Yes. I will go with you to see Emma."

"Thanks Sam this means so much to me." She said hugging his neck tight.

"Now." Sam said standing up. "Let me teach you how to make a proper dish of Mac and Cheese."

* * *

Later that night it was storming. Sam had never been too keen on storms. He tossed and turned in his bed as the sound of the pouring raindrops slammed against his window. He wasn't afraid of the thunder and lightning or the storm itself but of what it reminded him of.

OOOOOOOOOO

_Sam had been waiting for Mercedes to show up for over an hour. He paced back and forth impatiently as he stared at his watch for the fiftieth time. She was never late and something didn't quite sit right with him._

_"Where are you Mercy?" He said aloud._

_Mercedes had promised him that she would meet him at their spot at 5 o'clock. They were supposed to walk together but Sam had something that he needed to take care of first so he told her to walk ahead and he would catch up to her later. She should've beaten him here but when he arrived she was nowhere to be found. Sam waited a couple more minutes until the rain started to fall so he left. He began walking home but his feet took him right to Mercedes front door. A few moments after he knocked Mercedes sister Candace had answered the door._

_"Sam! It's coming down out there. What the hell are you doing?" She said and stepped aside so he could come in._

_"I need to see Mercedes is she here?" he asked as her mother walked into the room._

_"No she said she was going to be with you." Her mother answered._

_Sam was really worried now. Where could she have been? His mind was racing. If she didn't show up at the rooftop and she wasn't at home then something had to be wrong._

_"She didn't show up." Sam said worriedly. "I think something might have happened to her."_

_"Sam please tell me this is another one of you and Mercedes' little pranks that you like to pull." Her mother said._

_"I can't find her. She left the school before I did and she promised me she was going to walk straight there but when I got there she wasn't there."_

_"Yeah ok right." Her mother smiled and patted Sam on the back. "I'm sure she will come bursting in the door any minute yelling 'gotcha' just like all those times before."_

_She walked over to the loveseat where her husband was sitting and took the seat beside him. Candace shook her head and went upstairs. Sam was getting angry, sure he and Mercedes had played a few practical jokes on then before but this time he wasn't. He tried to tell her again and she smiled at him and said something about them sticking to the lie. Sam growled furiously._

_"What the hell do I have to do to make you understand what I am saying to you?" He yelled. "I am telling you Mercedes is missing! Gone! I don't know where she is!"_

_Mr. Jones stood up instantly and made his way to Sam._

_"Sam when is the last time you saw her?" He asked concerned._

_"Right when school let out." He could feel tears starting to form in his eyes and Mr. Jones embraced the young boy in front of him. They both turned at the sound of Mrs. Jones voice yelling at someone on the phone._

_"No she isn't unhappy. She wouldn't have a reason to run away!" She was on the phone with the police. "WHAT! THAT'S TOO LONG! ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN TO MY BABY IN THAT TIME! SHE IS ONLY THIRTEEN!"_

_Mr. Jones took the phone from his wife and she pulled Sam into a hug._

_"I'm so sorry. I should have walked with her. I'm so sorry." He said over and over as he cried in her shoulder._

_He didn't leave the Jones residence for a week. He slept in Mercedes bedroom as they all waited for anything a phone call, a ransom note. Mercedes family had lots of money from her dad playing in the pros and he blamed his fame for his daughter's disappearance. A week had passed and still nothing. Sam cried himself to sleep at night and prayed that GOD would bring his girlfriend back._

OOOOOOOOOO

Sam wiped away a couple of tears that had escaped his eyes as he turned in the bed once again. He didn't tell Mercedes that they had being dating for almost six months when she had been taken and he didn't know if he should. He didn't want her to feel that she was obligated to him in anyway.

The rain lasted throughout the night and for the most part of the next day. Mercedes and Sam decided to stay in and hang out. They watched movies, played board games, and Sam showed Mercedes some of his old football trophies. Sam even gave her a few lessons in the kitchen. Sam was an excellent cook. His mother and father (when they were together) both had late shift jobs so when he didn't eat at the Joneses he had to learn to fend for himself. That night Mercedes ended up sleeping in the bed with Sam after she woke up from a bad dream.

* * *

"Mercedes! I was beginning to worry about you dear." Emma said as she hugged her neck. "I see you brought a guest. I am guessing this is Sam am I correct?"

"Sam Evans." Sam said as he shook the red haired lady's hand.

"Nice to meet you. Have a seat you two and we will get started." Emma said as she pumped two squirts of hand sanitizer in her hands. "Now what's been on your mind lately?"

"Well I recently found out that Sam's father had a part in my kidnapping." Mercedes said sadly.

"Oh my God. Are you certain?" Emma asked.

"At first I wasn't but I remember his face now. I don't understand why he would do something like that to me. I thought he was someone that I could trust."

"Well Mercedes sometimes the people we trust the most are the ones that hurt us the most."

"You have no idea how true that statement is."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents knew. They knew what he did to me and I asked them several times if they knew what happened to me and they said no. They were lying to my face the entire time." Mercedes voice went from sad to hurt to anger all in a matter of seconds. "To make matters worse they took me to put flowers on his grave."

"This is unbelievable." Emma was shocked. "I just don't understand how anyone could sit there and allow their child to mourn over the loss of their kidnapper and torturer."

Sam winced and his jaw clenched at the word torturer. He didn't want to imagine the things that his father did to Mercedes. He sat there quietly as he listens to Mercedes relay the past three weeks of events to Emma and he thought about how much he hated his father. He never got an explanation of why he took her, even when he confronted him all those years ago. He wasn't the least bit sad when he found out his father was killed. If anything he was mad that someone had beat him to it. Sam thought of many different ways to harm his father. Some ending in death and others left him badly injured.

"So Sam." He heard Emma say and he focused his attention to her. "Do you have anything to say about all of this?"

"No ma'am." He answered.

"Mercedes bought you here for a reason Sam and I think in order for her to move on you two need to discuss a few things am I right?" She said looking at Mercedes.

"Things are good with us." Sam told the two of them. "I mean aren't they?"

"No Sam, they aren't." Mercedes spoke. "You seem a little distance lately and I don't know what I have done. Am I being a burden or something? Or do you not want to be there anymore with me? Are you upset with me? Do you feel uncomfortable around me? I can move out and find somewhere else to stay if it that would make you hap-"

"NO!" Sam said quickly cutting her off. "I mean... I am sorry. I don't want you to go anywhere. I just...I can't help but think about what your mother said at the hospital."

"What did she say?" Emma asked.

"She said that Mercedes would start to resent me because I look like my father."

"Ah I see. So you feel guilty about being close to the perpetrator." Emma said. "Do you feel that way Mercedes?"

"Absolutely not! Sam why would you think I would compare you to him? More importantly why didn't you tell me this? I don't see your father when I look at you Sam because you aren't him." She reached out and put her hand on top of Sam's.

"How can you not Cedes. I have his same eyes and I do resemble him."

"For the longest I only saw him as this dark figure." He hid himself from me for a while and I used my imagination to make a face for him. When he finally stopped wearing the mask I still only saw the monster I made up in my mind. So you see there is no way for me to ever think of you as him Sam because I know you aren't that evil, black eyed, demon I saw."

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry for distancing myself from you." Sam apologized.

"Ok now that we have that issue out of the way." Emma said writing a few notes in her pad. "Let's talk about the other reasons you brought Sam here today."

"I don't want you to be responsible for me Sam." Mercedes said after a few seconds.

"What?"

"I want to be able to live my own life. I want to know if you can help me with that. I want to get my GED, learn to drive, get a job and I guess I want to know if you would be up to helping me to do those things or are you going to treat me like my parents did?"

"If you are sure that is what you want. I don't want to shelter you like your parents did. I am all about you being your own self."

"It is what I want more than anything." She said.

"Well I have one more month of school left and then we can really focus on getting you the things you want." Sam assured her.

"Great! Now Mercedes wants to ask you a few questions Sam. Before she does I want to know if you would be willing to participate?"

"Well I am already here aren't I? So I guess the answer is yes."

"Good! Mercedes proceed and if you feel as if that is something you aren't ready to tell yet Sam just say pass. If he does Mercedes you need to let it go and we will approach the subject some other time. Agreed?"

Both Mercedes and Sam nodded their heads in agreement. Sam was nervous and felt like his chair had just become the hot seat. He promised to cooperate but he didn't have a clue as to what she wanted to ask.

Mercedes turned towards Sam and began speaking.

"Question one. Why did you tense up when you hugged me that first day at the park?"

"Because of what you said to me." He answered. "You said 'see ya soon Sam'."

"Ok what was so bad about that?"

"The last time I saw you all those years ago the last thing you said to me was 'see ya soon Sam'. I couldn't help but think that I wasn't going to see you again just like last time it was too much handle." He sounded sad. "When I went home that day after the park, I worried the entire time if something was going to happen to you just because you said those four words. They haunted me for the past seven years Mercedes."

"Oh." Was all Mercedes could say.

"I hate to hear that Sam it must have been really hard not knowing what was going on with her all those years." Emma said.

"I don't want to talk about that."

"Ok moving right along then. Mercedes, continue."

_Ok not bad that one was easy. _Sam thought._  
_  
"Why were you so angry during high school Sam?"

_Great! That lasted about five seconds._Sam was about to say pass but Mercedes eyes were staring at him daring him to answer the question.

"Because I blamed myself for you not being there." He sighed. "If I would have just went with you that day then you would not have went missing. If I was never your friend then my dad wouldn't have taken you and you would've been safe."

"Sam you don't know that for certain." Emma said writing on her notepad again. "Who is to say that he took Mercedes because of her friendship with you? What if he would've seen her somewhere else and decided to take her then. You wouldn't have had any control over it then."

"I don't want you to think like that Sam. I know it's not your fault. You being related to him is unfortunate but I forgive you for that." Mercedes said. "I don't know what my life would have been like those first thirteen years without you as my friend. You were such a big part of me. So please stop blaming yourself for something someone else did."

"She's right Sam if she can forgive you and understand that you are not to blame than you need to be able to do the same for yourself." Emma added.

"I will work on that. It is going to take some time but I will try to learn how to forgive myself. Can I ask you a question Mercedes?"

"Ok."

"Since I answered about how I was angry, tell me why you won't forget how they smelled."

Mercedes had a blank stare in her eyes and she began playing with her hands.

"Pass." She said quickly.

"Cedes come on-" Sam was about to dispute but dropped it when Emma shook her head at him to leave it alone.

Mercedes didn't speak another word for the rest of the hour. Sam and Emma both tried talking to her but she would only answer their questions with a nod or shake of her head. Once Emma saw that she had shut down she suggested they end their session and pick things back up next week. Once things were dismiss Mercedes made a beeline out of the door.

"Thanks again." Sam said walking to the door with Emma.

"No thank you for coming with her she really needed it." She smiled at him. "Oh Sam one more thing. I know you were holding back some things today. Blaming yourself wasn't the only reason you were so upset in school. I won't say anything to Mercedes but she deserves to know whatever it is you are holding in. Also you have something you want to get off your chest. If you aren't ready to tell her yet why don't you make an appointment to see me one on one."

"I'll think about it." Sam said walking off but not before grabbing a card from Emma's secretary.

* * *

Mercedes and Sam were riding back to the house. She stared out the window silently and still hadn't spoken a word. He tried to make small talk with her about things like what she wanted for dinner or did she want to go out and eat but she said nothing. Sam made a left turn to start heading towards the country when he heard her say something.

"What was that?" He said.

"Stop the car." She spoke louder this time.

"Mercedes-"

"STOP SAM!" She yelled.

Sam pulled over on the side of the road and she hopped out before he even came to a complete stop. She took off up a small hill and Sam realized where there were at.

"Rogue wait what are you doing?"

She didn't say anything she just kept walking through the gates of the Lima Heights Memorial Grounds. She weaved left and right through the dozens of burial plots until she stop in front of the one with the name **Dwight Edgar Evans**on it. Sam caught up to her and he said her name but she just stared at the grave in front of her.

"Mercedes." He tried again.

"I hate him Sam." She finally spoke.

"I know Rogue. I do too."

"I want to kill him." She said her voice shaky. "I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

Sam didn't know what to do with what happened next. Mercedes fell to her knees and began punching his mud covered grave over and over again. She clawed and mauled at the ground as she wept loudly screaming 'I hate you' repeatedly.

"I didn't deserve this! You ruined my life and I hate you for that!" She said as chunks of mud flew everywhere.

Sam kneeled beside her and tried to grab her hands. She tried to fight him off at first but then she surrendered and collapse against his chest. She cried heavily in his arms as he consoled her.

"Ssh Ssh Mercedes." He said as his own tears fell from his face. "I know. I know. He can't hurt you anymore. Nobody is going to ever hurt you again." He said as he rocked her slowly in the comfort of his arms.

* * *

**AN: So there was chapter six. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing for you. So I tried to answer a few questions. What did you think about the day she went missing? What did you think of Sam and Mercedes session with Emma? What else do you think Sam and Mercedes are hiding from one another and what do you think about him not telling her they were dating? Questions. Comments. Theories. I would to know what you think. Please review and thanks for reading.  
Till next time-tdminor86**

**Next chapter will see what Sam and the Jones went through the last seven years without Mercedes.**


	7. Guilty Admissions

**Hello again everyone. Thanks so much to everyone who read, reviewed, and favorite the last chapter. It was greatly appreciated. There are still a lot of questions to be answered and I will get to them accordingly. So here's chapter seven and I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for any mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

**WARNING: Talks of abuse and drugs.  
**

* * *

Chapter 7: **Guilty Admissions Pt.1**

* * *

Sam hadn't been to school or home in three days. He was hanging with a couple of guys he knew from a rival school when he received word that his mother had reported him missing.

"You are going to be in so much trouble." Azimo said as he passed Sam a joint they had been sharing.

"Yeah. So what I'll go home when I feel like it." He said nonchalant.

"He's right your mom is going to kill you when you finally go home." Dave said as he threw a beer can in the burning fire in front of him. "You should at least call her. I bet she is worried sick."

"She doesn't care about me. Ever since she started dating Will, he has become her whole life." Sam said reaching for another beer.

Sam met Azimo Adams and Dave Karofsky when the three were among some of the few chosen to represent their county for all state football league. They were roommates and the three form a quick friendship. He often hung with them to compare football stories and to vent about the latest problems in their lives. This time when he left home three days ago, it was to pick up some of their bad habits. Dave was struggling with a secret that surprisingly he trusted Sam and only Sam with so, he had a bad habit to get wasted. Paul Karofsky was a big shot attorney and he was well known in the state of Ohio. He had plans to run for Attorney General, but he knew his dad would never win the elections if the voters knew he had a gay son.

Azimo's father was abusive towards him and his mother so he turned to drugs to weather hurricane Percy as he liked to call him. His dad was a football legend at Carmel High and he even had a shot at the pros until he suffered a career ending neck injury in college. He became addicted to pain meds and his lovable personality turned to bitter when he notice his youngest son had a natural talent for the game and he became controlling and overbearing. The abuse became worse when Azimo beat all of his dad's records his sophomore year.

Sam's problems began three years ago when the only person he ever really cared about was taken away from him and still has yet to be found. He was an athlete and unlike his two friends he valued his body. Sure he would have the occasional beer here and there and every now and then he would steal a puff or two from one AZ's joints but, he never let things get out of hand. When Mercedes' parents decided to give up their search three days ago and ask the police and FBI to closed their daughter's case he lost it. He pleaded and begged with them to reconsider but they fed him some bullshit about how it's been three years and now its time to move on.

The first thing he did was find Rick Nelson who was a known drug dealer and bought a gram of coke from him. He went to the bathroom of his home and did what he saw other people do on the movies. When he snorted the powdery white substance up his nose, he had hope it would make all of the pain and anger he was feeling go away. Instead he got the complete opposite, he felt as if his entire head was ablaze. He panicked and emerged his head in water and nearly drowned himself. When he called Azimo for help once he had calm down, he laughed at him and told him to leave the heavy stuff to the professionals. AZ told Sam he needed to start off light so he hooked him up with a few painkillers and instructions on how much to take. He didn't want his mother to see him go off the deep end so he camped out in an RV park near the edge of town. Only Dave and AZ knew where he was and they had come to check on him all three days. Azimo thought he just needed some time to vent but today Dave was actually worried about his friend. He had never seen Sam like this before; if he wasn't wasted he was stoned or high off some drug. He still had on the same clothes he had on three days ago and he smelled awful. He knew Sam was spiraling out of control and he needed to do something fast before things got worse or he ended up dead.

"I'm sure she does. It must be crazy seeing your mom date someone that isn't your dad, but sometimes things don't work out." Dave tried to reassure him.

"Yeah. Dave look, I understand you trrr-ying to be help fuhl and all but if I wanted some ad…ad…vice I'd watch Dr. Phil or Oprah." Sam said before gulping down the beer and reaching for another one. "I just wish that Mersay…dees was here she is da...da only one who...who can make this pain go away."

"Maybe you need to slow down man." Azimo said reaching for his tipsy friend. "You already have like five beers, smoked half a joint, and you took two oxy."

Sam put his fingers to AZ's lips and said "ssssssshhhhhh."

"He's losing it. You can stay and watch him slowly kill himself but I won't." Dave said and gathered his things to leave.

"Waaaaiiiiiiitttttt. I thawt thissss wass a pahteee." A drunken Sam slurred. "Wheeeee."

"No it's not fun when you are like this Sam. You were the only one of us who didn't get too wrapped up in things. You kept me and AZ grounded but if all three of us are fucked up who is going to save us?" Dave said and walked off with Azimo calling after him but he didn't stop.

"Come on man. I got you." He said and helped Sam to his truck to sleep his high off.

Two days later Sam laid half sleep in the bed of his truck when he heard someone climb in. He looked up and saw the sad blue eyes of his mother and Will Shuester next to her.

"Sam what the hell is wrong with you." She said and grabbed her son in a tight embrace. "I was so worried about you. I thought something had happened to you like Mercedes. What do you think she would do if she saw you like this, huh?"

Sam winced at the sound of her name. He leaned against his mother for support and returned the hug. "How did you know where to find me?" He asked.

"You're friend David called me." He should have known. "He said he was afraid you might overdose. Don't be mad at him."

Sam did feel betrayed but once he saw the hurt and worried look on not only his mother's face but Will's as well, he felt grateful for Dave.

"I'm so sorry mom. I just wanted the pain to go away." He cried holding on to his mom even tighter than before. "They just gave up, quit looking for her and when Mr. Jones said that I needed to accept the fact that she was most likely dead, I couldn't take it. I just want her back."

"I know honey, we all do." She said and kissed her son on the forehead.

OOOOOOOOO

* * *

"So Mercedes' parents also played a part in your anger issues from your teenage years?" Emma asked Sam once he finished his story. "You didn't like how they gave up so easily and that upset you."

"A little." Sam answered with his hands folded in his lap. "I mean it was part of it."

"Ok, well I believe I know who had a critical role in the anger and I don't think it was your father. I think we know both know the real reason why you were so irate and you are afraid of what's going to happen once it is all out in the open."

"I don't know what you are talking about." He said getting anxious.

"Yes you do." Emma said calmly. "It's why you got defensive all of a sudden. It's the reason why you asked to see me alone when you could have talked to me at your appointment later today. It's quite interesting that the one thing that you spent the last 5 years hating the most is the one thing you are most of afraid of losing, and that is Mercedes."

"I didn't say that." Sam said in denial.

He was on the edge of his seat. He knew Mercedes was the main reason behind it, but just like Emma had said he was afraid to admit it. He struggled with the idea of tackling this problem head on and coming clean or hauling ass out the door. Emma annoyed the hell out of him. She was always on point when it came to Sam. What annoyed him more than anything was her ability to make you question your own decisions. He watched her with a roll of his eyes as she sat there looking directly at him as she calmly twirled the pencil she was holding just waiting for him to make the next move. After a few seconds of rational thinking he slowly sat back in his chair and told her that she was right.

"I figured as much. Now what I want to know is what are you so afraid of Sam? Do you think if she had known you were upset with her that she would no longer want to be your friend?"

"No."

"Sam?" Emma said his name like his mother did when she knew he was lying.

"Fine! Yes I'm afraid okay there I said it." He blurted out. I am scared that she will resent me and think that I blame her for getting taken. But most importantly I was also mad at her because in eleven years she had never broken a promise. That the one time she did it was a life threatening promise. She should have been there!"

"The day she was supposed to meet you?"

"Yes and no. She was supposed to be there when we went to our first prom. When we got our class rings, cheering me on at every single football game, and holding hands as we walk to class." He was starting to tear up but Emma told him to go on. "We had plans to sit next to each other at graduation even if our last names weren't alphabetical. We had plans to go to the same college but not before we traveled around the world for a year first. She was supposed to be my first and I hers, but none of that happened. She promised me and she wasn't there."

Emma walked around her desk and gave the crying boy a hug. "Now doesn't that feel so much better now that you have finally released so of what has been building up inside of you?"

"No because when she finds out what I did she'll hate me for sure."

"What are you talking about Sam?" Emma asked breaking their embrace and staring at him.

"I did something stupid and if I had just been smart about it then maybe Mercedes wouldn't have went through as much as she did."

"Oh Sam what did you do?" Emma asked worried. "Tell me."

"I will. I want to tell Mercedes this also because she needs to know this. I have to be honest with her. I want to do it this afternoon at our session."

"That's fine. Maybe it is best that way you don't have to go through it twice."

"Yeah, I guess."

* * *

When Sam made it home he found Mercedes in the middle of the living room floor going through one of his scrapbooks. When she looked up she smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"How was your trip to town?" She asked as she went back to flipping the pages.

"It was good. I got you something." Sam said placing his jacket across a chair.

"Really? Gimme! gimme! gimme!" She chanted excitedly.

"Ok you nut, calm down." He said and handed her a bag.

When she opened it she saw three books and some of her favorite lotion. The first book was a cooking for dummies book.

"Ha ha Sam. You think you are so funny."

The second was a book she needed for the GED program she enrolled in. The last was a large purple book with silver embroidery. She opened it and saw blank purple pages with silver lines. The cover page read _This Journal belongs to Mercedes Jones_.

"Sam this is beautiful thank you." She said and stood to give him a hug. He wrapped his hands around her waist putting his head atop hers and she placed her head on his chest like old times. They stayed like that for a few more moments until Sam spoke and broke their hold.

"I almost forgot there's one more thing." He reached in his pocket and pulled out clear pen with silver ink. This is the pen you will need to use it is the only kind that shows up on the paper. I thought since you are starting a new life why not have a new journal to document it with."

"Thanks Sam it was very thoughtful of you. I appreciate it." She took his hand and was leading him to the kitchen. "Come, I have something for you too."

Mercedes sat Sam at the table and told him to close his eyes. He did as he was told and Mercedes checked and made sure his wasn't peeking. She went into the oven and pulled out a baking dish with Mac and cheese in it.

"Open your mouth." She said with a spoonful of the pasta in her hand.

"Are you trying to poison me woman?" He joked but he opened his mouth wide anyway. She scoffed and shoved the warm, cheesy, goodness in his mouth and Sam couldn't help the moan that escaped his mouth. "More, more."

She complied giving him another heaping spoon. "You like it?" She asked nervously.

"Nope. I love it." He said opening his eyes to look at her. "That was so good Mercy where did you learn that from because my Mac and Cheese isn't nearly that good."

"That's for me to know and you to never find out." She teased.

"Is that so?" He said with a mischievous grin on his face. "I have ways to get it out of you Rogue."

"Sam Evans you wouldn't dare." She said knowing exactly what he was implying. She tried to back away slowly without being conspicuous but Sam was on to her and grabbed her wrist bringing her into his lap.

"I am going to give you one more chance to tell me." He warned.

"Uh Uh no di-" Before she could finish her sentence Sam had used one hand to hold both her wrists and his free hand began an assault on her ribs. He tickled her in to hysteria as she bucked left and right trying to break free. "Sam st...stooooooppp! Ahhh! Saaaammmm!"

"Are you going to tell me?" He whispered in her ear. She shook her head no and he went back at it but seconds later she surrendered. She rested her forehead against his as she tried to catch her breath; brown met green and Sam couldn't help but close his eyes as he felt her cool, sweet, breath against his lips. She was doing it again, driving him crazy and she just didn't know it or maybe she did and just like torturing him. As a few seconds passed Sam eyes opened and she was still staring. She was so beautiful to him. He cupped her face and she leaned her face into his hold. She ran her hands up and down his arms and he traced her full bottom lip with his thumb. He brought her face towards his and she closed her eyes in anticipation. Their lips were so close that Sam could smell and feel the gooeyness of her strawberry lip gloss barely grazed his own lips. He wanted this for so long, this moment where nothing else in the world matter except him and her Mercedes and Sam. But it wasn't the right time so he tilted her head down and placed a sweet and gentle kiss to her forehead and she opened her eyes.

"I'm so stupid. I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean to make things so awkward." She said getting up and heading out the kitchen.

"Mercedes wait." Sam said chasing her and grabbing her from behind. "Things aren't weird and you don't have to apologize for wanting to kiss me because I wanted to kiss you too. Don't be upset. I just think that you and I need to have our session with Emma first."

"That's not why I am upset Sam." She said turning to face him. "But you are right we need to go to our session first."

"Ok. Hug it out?"

"Nope." She said stepping out of his arms and sitting back down in the middle of the living room. "That's what you get for tickling me."

"Should've told me what was in that Mac and Cheese." He said and went back to get some more.

* * *

Sam was nervous the whole drive to Emma's. He tried to hide it by making Mercedes do most of the talking. He asked her a question he knew she would ramble on and on about to answer it. Once they got there he told her to go on in while he found a parking space to take up time. Unlucky for him the lot of the medical building was almost empty. He parked the jeep and took a deep breath and exhaled it a few times before he got out of the car. When he made it inside Brittany told him Emma and Mercedes were waiting on him and to go on in.

"There you are." Mercedes said as he entered. "I was starting to think you got lost."

"Had to find a space." He lied and Emma shook her head knowingly.

"So Sam, Mercedes, what's been on your mind?" Emma asked.

The two stared at each other in silence waiting for the other to speak but neither was brave enough to go first. After a minute of nothing Emma spoke again. "Ok, how about this." She pulled a small paddle out of her desk with one side painted blue the other red. "I usually only use this for my couples therapy but for today I'll make an exception. Sam you are blue and Mercedes red. When I hold it up whatever color it's on it's that person turn to talk. Ok? How does that sound?" They both nodded in agreement.

Emma flipped the paddle and it landed on the blue side. Emma motioned for Sam to speak and he turned to Mercedes.

"What did you mean when you said that's not why you were upset?"

"I wasn't upset at you Sam, I was upset at myself. I let it get as far as it did. I was weak and I shouldn't have let you touch me like that." She spoke softly.

"May I ask what happened?" Emma asked.

"We almost kissed." Sam answered her. "But I stop before we did."

"I see. Well, please go on."

"Why were you upset at yourself?"

"Because, I don't want to lead you on Sam. I am not really ready for anything in the romance department right now. I knew that things with us were skating on the line between friendship and relationship. I should have said something sooner but I thought that you would be hurt if I shut you down." She said nervously and she began to fiddle with her fingers. "It's just that I was trapped in an unwanted relationship for years and I had all the things that are supposed to be memorable and breathtaking stolen from me."

"I get it. You're right though, it will be hard for you to begin being with someone for real. I don't want you to feel you have to act differently towards me now that this has happened."

"I won't if you won't." She said grabbing his hand.

"I won't"

Emma flipped the paddle and now it was Mercedes turn to ask Sam a question.

"What's going on Sam? I can tell something has been bugging you."

Sam took a look at Emma and she made a gesture to let him know it was ok to go ahead and say what he needed to say.

"I have to tell you something Rogue and I don't think you are going to like it."

"O..ok." She was scared and Sam could tell.

"I fucked up. I did something I shouldn't have."

**OOOOOOOOO**

Sam was lying across his bed mindlessly strumming the strings on his guitar when his mother knocked on his bedroom door.

"Come in."

"Hey honey I know it's your summer vacation and all but I was wondering if you would do me a favor."

"Please don't ask me to do some type of summer mother-son bonding camp." He said sitting up.

"No you goof. I wanted to know if I could pay you to clean out the basement." She said sitting on his bed. "I would ask Will to do it but I didn't know how you would react to him going through your father's things."

"It's ok mom. I'll do it you don't have to pay me to clean it out. I'm bored anyway it will give me something to do."

"Thanks so much sweetheart. I don't understand how you are bored you are 16 shouldn't you be out chasing girls around or something?" Mary Evans said and when she saw the look on her son's face she realized what she had said. Sam usually spent his summers chasing around a girl, Mercedes. "Sam I'm sorry I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine mom I'll go start on that basement." He said and left the room.

Sam had been down there cleaning up and going through boxes for about an hour. He didn't have the ideal relationship with his dad but they still loved each other. When his parents told him a year ago they were getting a divorce he wasn't fazed by it. He had enough happened to him already and he just pushed it to the back of his mind like he did everything else. Cleaning out his father's old stuff was actually making him miss him. He missed their many games of catch in the backyard and when he would take him and Mercedes fishing at the lake. He never understood why his parents couldn't work things out or why they fought so much the last three years, because they always seemed so happy at first. Sam found a box marked memories and he sat in his dad's old chair and began going through it. Inside there were pictures, old comic books, some dirty magazines, hundreds of old baseball cards and old car catalogs.

He was rummaging through some of the baseball cards when the sunlight filled the room from a window and something shiny in the corner caught his eye. At first he ignored it and planned to pick it up later, but when he glanced at it again he got a weird feeling. He placed the items back in the box and set it down next to the chair. He made his way over to the bookshelf where the object in question was wedged behind half sticking out. The closer he got to the bookshelf the more recognizable the object became. When he was just a few steps from the shelf he froze in place. _It couldn't be_. He thought to himself_. No No No it's not it, it can't be._ He finally willed his body to move and pushed the bookshelf out and sure enough laying on the floor in front of him was Mercedes' charm bracelet. He felt sick to his stomach. There had to be a logical explanation as to how it got down there. Maybe his father had been searching for Mercedes? Maybe he found it when she left it behind one day? _No, you know she was wearing that when you saw her Sam. If he did find it why wouldn't he say something?_Sam snatched the tiny bracelet, grabbed the box on the floor and ran up the stairs two at a time. He didn't stop to tell his mom or Will he was leaving or where he was going he just ran right out the door and hopped in his truck.

Sam sped out the driveway and flew down the street. He had a million thought running through his head and he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say or do when he was face to face with his father. It was an hour drive to his dad's house and Sam went through so many different emotions. He yelled, cried, laugh. He knew he must have looked crazy to passengers around him because halfway there he started playing out what he thought would happen once he made it there. When Sam pulled into his dad's driveway he saw his dad's car in the yard. He put the bracelet in his back pocket of his jeans and grabbed the box. He knocked three times and waited for his dad to answer. When his dad opened the door he seemed shock to see Sam and a little scared.

"Sam, son everything ok?" Dwight Evans asked him.

"Yeah dad. Mom had me clean out the basement and I thought you might want this." Sam said surprisingly calm.

"Oh man! I can't believe I left this behind." _That's not all you left._Sam thought. "Thanks kiddo."

"So are you busy I was hoping we could chat for a second it's been a minute since I've seen you and I miss you pop." Sam said noticing his father still hadn't invited him in.

"Actually I was just about to leave and go to uh...the grocery store." He dad said suspiciously. "Maybe some other time."

"Ok I'll go with you and then we can come back and cook and catch up over dinner."

"Um I don't have time I am going to a cook out over at a friend's house."

"Well I come back when it's over." Sam pried. His father was lying to him, which confirmed what he really didn't want to be true.

"No you can't!" He father said getting angry. "Look Sam I didn't want to say this because I was trying to spare your feelings but I am going to see my new girlfriend. I'm dating and I didn't want you making me feel guilty about it."

Sam grew tired of his father's games and pushed him out the way and ran into the house.

"MERCEDES! MERCEDES! MERCEDES!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He ran up the stairs and searched room after room yelling her name. When he made it to the last room on the floor his father came up stairs and grabbed him.

"Sam what the hell are you doing?" He said shaking his son.

"YOU TOOK HER! I KNOW IT!"

"Sam you are crazy? Have you been doing drugs again, because you don't know what you are talking about?"

"Bullshit!" Sam pushed his father off him and took the bracelet out his pocket. "I found this in the basement. I knew you had and Mercedes was wearing it the day she went missing."

Dwight looked as if he had just been told he had minutes to live. Sam saw the expression in his face and knew his father had her. He pushed him into the wall and grabbed Dwight by his neck.

"Where. The fuck. Is. She?" He said through his teeth.

"I...I...can't...breathe." Sam loosened the grip he had on his neck and asked him again. "I don't know."

"You're lying!" Sam slammed his father's head against the wall a couple of times and squeezed his neck until he passed out. He continued his search through the house for his missing friend.

"Mercedes! Mercedes baby it's me Sam if you can hear me please say something anything!" He pleaded but he didn't get an answer. He ran to the basement door and it was locked. He kicked it down and stumbled quickly down the stairs. "Mercedes! Mercedes!" He called her name as he frantically looked. "FUUUCCCCKKKK!"

He heard someone moving upstairs and he went to make his way back up. His father was waiting at the top with the bracelet and Sam's keys in his hand causing Sam to stop half way.

"You shouldn't have come here son." He said. "You weren't supposed to find out. Now everything is messed up because of you. I can't let you leave here Sam."

Sam knew he had to get away so he could tell someone about his dad and they could come back and rescue Mercedes.

"Why? Why, would you do this? She has never done anything to you." Sam asked.

"Yes she has, she was taking you away from me. Every year you would rather go on vacation with her and her stupid family instead of spend time with your own. You would rather spend time with her doing nothing than to go somewhere with me. Then when you did agree to go somewhere you always insisted that the little bitch come along."

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Sam said with his fist balled and his jaws clenched. "Is that what this is about? You're jealous towards someone under half your age?"

"YOU LOVED HER MORE THAN YOU DID ME SAM!" He yelled. "When the two of you started dating I knew it was a matter of time before she became your everything and I was going to lose you for good."

"So you took her! You think taking her was going to make me love you more? You wanted to hurt me dad fine you hurt me. Please let her go. She is innocent in all this. I won't say a word and I will make sure Mercedes doesn't either." Sam said slowly closing the gap between the two of them. "Just let her go dad please? I'm sorry you feel this way I love you dad I do. Just please let her go."

"Sam I'm so so sorry son."

Sam saw his father let his guard down and took his chance. He snatched the keys and bracelet away from him and ran to the door, but Dwight grabbed his leg tripping him and Sam fell to the ground.

"YOU STUPID IDIOT!" His father yelled and Sam struggled to break free from him.

Sam felt something poking him in the side and he remembered he had his pocket knife on him. He fished it out of his pocket and opened it. Without thinking twice about it he sliced Dwight on the left side of his face deep. He saw blood spew everywhere and his father was screaming. He let Sam go and Sam got up to run but his father said something that made him stop in his tracks.

"What did you say?" Sam asked unsure of what he heard.

"She's alive." Dwight repeated. "But if you tell a single sole about me I'll kill her."

"You wouldn't! I'll kill you first." Sam said making his way back to his dad. He put the knife to his throat.

"If you kill me you'll never find her. She isn't here. Do you honestly think I'm that stupid to keep her here?" He laughed. "You will keep your mouth shut. If you don't not only will I kill your precious Mercedes and hide her body where they'll never be able to find it but I'll go after your mother as well."

Sam slammed his father back down and stood. "If you hurt her, I will hunt you down and kill you." He said and left.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

* * *

"So you didn't tell anyone?" Mercedes asked Sam.

"No not at first I didn't." He said.

"How long?" She asked.

"What?"

"How long did you wait to tell someone?"

"A year. When he up and moved. No one knew where he was."

"A YEAR!" Mercedes was livid. "Sam do you realize what that means. When you found that bracelet I could have been rescued that day!"

"I know."

"Why would you just go to him without taking someone with you? A cop? My Parents? Your mom and Will?"

"I know Mercedes okay! I fucked up! I wasn't thinking straight. I lost my mind when I saw that bracelet. I just wanted you back so bad. I should've said something but I didn't and you had to go through four more years of that crap because of me!"

Emma tried to get a word in to let them know they weren't using the paddle but the two just went back and forth like she wasn't even there.

"Oh my God!" Mercedes said. "I heard you."

"What?" Both Sam and Emma said confused.

"I heard you calling my name. I remember now. I was in a room underneath the basement, that's where they kept me. When you were screaming my name I heard you. I wasn't sure it was real because I dreamed so many nights that you came to save me. I thought I was imagining things. But when your father came downstairs I saw the huge cut on his face. I realized then that you were real."

"Why didn't you say anything or call out to me?" Sam asked turning her towards him.

"I did, but it's kinda hard to speak when your mouth is duct taped and your hands are tied to the bed." She laughed with no humor. "He broke my nose that night."

"What!" She said and he had to grip the chair to keep from punching something.

"He beat me really bad because you found out. He said it was my fault you didn't love him anymore. It was my fault that you cut his face and I had to pay for it." She said with a blank stare in her eyes and Sam notice she was rubbing a long scar on her thigh.

"Mercedes I'm so sorry." He said but she just shook her head.

"He used a long thin leather strap and he hit me over and over until I couldn't take the pain anymore and passed out." She reached for her shoulder and pulled her shirt down and exposed the tiny scars across her back and shoulders.

"STOP! STOP! JUST STOP MERCEDES!" Sam screamed in tears. "I can't do this." He got up and opened the door running down the hall to the elevator. Both Mercedes and Emma went after him.

"Sam! Sam! Please stop!" Mercedes pleaded. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Sam come back please we need to talk about this." Emma begged.

"No! He did those things to you because of me Mercedes. You should stay away from me! I gotta go!" Sam said and got into the elevator and pushed the button for the doors to close as soon as he got in. Mercedes stood staring at her friend replaying in her head what he said to her. _"You should stay away from me!"_

* * *

**AN: So there was part one of chapter seven what did you guys think? Did I answer a few questions you may have had? I'm knew this was going to be a angst heavy chapter so I tried to put a little fluff in there. Part should be up sometime next week. I know I said we would see what the Jones went through but most of you really didn't care about Mama and Papa Jones so I decided to just put in a tidbit in here and there in the upcoming chapters. Thanks for reading and please remember to review they encourage me to write more. Till next time-tdminor86**


	8. Guilty Admissions Pt 2

**Hello again! So sorry for the long update but it was hard to put this chapter into words. Just wanted to say thank you for such the wonderful responses I received last chapter. MP reached 100 reviews! Samcedes are both going through some things and hopefully they can solve them quick. I hope this chapter answers some of the questions you have. Thanks to my Beta Rose for being awesome. WARNING: There is a mention of rape in this chapter, sorry if it offends anyone.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter 8: **Guilty Admissions Pt.2**

* * *

"Sam come back please we need to talk about this." Emma begged.

"No! He did those things to you because of me Mercedes. You should stay away from me! I gotta go!" Sam said and got into the elevator and pushed the button for the doors to close as soon as he got in. Mercedes stood staring at the elevator doors, replaying in her head what Sam said to her._ "You should stay away from me!"_

Sam knew it was wrong to just leave her like that, but he had to. He needed to get away from her. In his mind he believed that her life would have been a lot easier if she had never meet him. He couldn't handle this. He knew she had to have gone through some shit when she was taken but now to actually hear it from her mouth was too much. When he made it downstairs he sprinted to his jeep. Once inside he couldn't help the tears that began to pour down his face. He hated his father and the control he had over his life before and after his death.

OOOOOOO

_Sam was hanging with his roommates Artie and Mike when he received the call. _

_"Hello may I please speak to Sam Evans?"_

_"This is Sam Evans may I ask who is calling?"_

_"This is Officer Arthur Singletary from the Durant County Sheriff's Department. I am sorry to inform you sir but, a body was recovered from the Lima canal."_

_Sam felt his knees go weak a little bit and he had to lean against the wall to keep from falling. He dreaded this phone call for the past 6 and a half years. They found her. This was it the moment where what he had feared the most was going to come true. He took a deep breath and willed himself to speak._

"_Ok. Do you know who it is?" He asked still shaken up._

"_No but, we have reason to believe it belongs to a Dwight Evans. We were told to contact you to identify the body."_

_Sam was nearly in tears and didn't know if this was a good sign or bad. He really didn't care that he had just received news that his father might be dead. There was only one thing he wanted to know. He waited until his breathing was under control before he spoke again._

_"Was his the only body found?" He said barely above a whisper. "Was there a female body as well?"_

_"No sir, there is only the one." Sam breathed a short sigh of relief. "It would be best if you could go to the Lima Heights Memorial Hospital as soon as possible. I can give you all the information you need."_

_Sam wrote down the information and hung up. He called the number given to him and made arrangements with the hospital clerk. Mike and Artie rode with him to the hospital and they stood outside the door as he went into room where he would most likely see the dead body of the man he has hated for the past 4 and a half years. When he entered the small room he could feel something in the air, he wasn't quite sure what it was but he had a strange feeling. The coroner asked him if he was ready and he nodded, just wanting to get this over with. When the sheet was pulled back the first thing Sam saw was the long cut he had given his father all those years back. He didn't say a word as he just stared down at the lifeless face of Dwight Eugene Evans. _

_A son finding out his dad been killed should be a sad time. He should weep, be angry even, but strangely enough all Sam could do at that moment was laugh. He laughed hard and loud and the coroner looked at Sam as if he had gone mad. He laughed because his father had gotten just what he deserved. He was grateful for the man or woman who rid the world of the sick fuck and he wished he knew who it was so he could personally thank them. He gave his body a glance over and notice little tiny gashes that appeared to be knife wounds. He controlled his laughter and began to wonder if Mercedes had somehow escaped or had been dead and her body was waiting to be found in the bottom of the canal just like his father's._

_"Yeah, that's him." Sam said after a few moments. "What are these little cuts in his shoulders for? I thought someone had drowned him."_

_"No actually he was stabbed to death before someone threw him in the canal. According to the autopsy the first and second stabs were to his heart and that was what killed him." The coroner stated. "He was dead for the other twenty four. Someone must have really hated him to continue to stab him repeatedly like that."_

_Sam didn't know what to think of this information. He wondered if he had been attacked while he was with Mercedes and the thought of her being harmed had returned. He also wondered if maybe she was the one who had done this and she finally was free, but why wouldn't she have come home? _

_He had a sick feeling in his stomach and he didn't think he could handle seeing Mercedes like this. He couldn't handle her cold and lifeless lying on a marble table with a toe tag. Just as he thought this, a mental picture flashed in his mind. He saw her lying there in front of him instead of the man that was actually there. She was pale but still beautiful, her hair still long and flowy. Her plump lips slightly bruised and the tiny cuts were etched in her skin like artwork. He shut his eyes tight trying to force the visual out of his head but it became more and more vivid. He reached to cup her full cheeks and right before his hand reached her face her eyes shot open and she grabbed his wrist and screamed __**'SAM HELP'**__! _

_He jumped and yelled startling the coroner and he rushed out of the doors and ran nonstop down the hospital hallway. He could hear Mike and Artie calling out his name and he heard their footsteps chasing after him, but he didn't stop. His father's death left so many unanswered questions and he hated him now even more than ever._

OOOOOOO

* * *

Sam heard a light tap on the window of his jeep and looked up to see Mercedes staring at him through the window.

"Sam please unlock the door. I am sorry for making you feel guilty. Please?" She was crying as well and he hated to see her like this.

He rolled his window down and gave her an apologetic look because he didn't trust himself to speak to her without breaking down again.

Mercedes could tell that what she said in Emma's office really did something to Sam. She wanted to be honest with him but she wasn't expecting the reaction he had. She reached in and unlocked the jeep from the inside and opened the door. She took in the sight of her best friend in front of her, his face was red and his eyes were puffy. He looked like he had just been through hell and back.

"Sam? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you in there." She said trying to make him feel better. "I think we have been through enough for the time being, how about we call it a day?"

He didn't say anything to her, instead he just nodded.

The drive back was awkwardly quiet. Mercedes turned in her seat the whole time and Sam didn't even spare a full glance at her. He could feel how uncomfortable she was and her antsy behavior was making him uncomfortable as well.

When they finally made it home, Sam barely had the key out the ignition before he was half way out of the car. He all but ran to the front door, unlocked it, and fled to his room. He didn't say a single word to her the rest of the night. He didn't even come out to eat and she spent the night crying into her pillow downstairs. After she felt like she was all cried out she decided to put some of her feelings on paper. She reached in the nightstand by her bed and pulled out the journal Sam had bought for her.

_May 5, 2012_

_My life is a mess right now. I haven't spoken to my parents or sister in a little over a month. I live with my best friend who I thought was supposed to be my rock but instead he is just as unstable as I thought I use to be. I recently found out that he knew about who took me two years after I was taken and he didn't say a word for a year. I'll be honest a part of me thought he didn't say anything on purpose, but then I started to think rationally. Sam would never do anything to intentionally hurt me, I know that, but with my parents lying to me and someone who I thought I could trust end up betraying me I didn't know what to think._

_Admittedly Sam's father had always been sort of a creeper to me but I wouldn't have figured him to be the type to do such a thing. What I would like to do is just shut that entire part of my life completely off but I know it's not possible. Being through what I have is not something that one could just easily forget. Sam makes it better, I don't know if it is because I am use to being around him all the time or because this is the part of my dreams where Sam does the actual saving._

_The more time I spend with him the more things were starting to make sense. My memories are coming back to me more frequent now, and I even remember the night I was taken. I had always believed that Sam was trying to save me from my kidnappers seeing that in my dream he was saving me while I was trying to escape. When he told me earlier how he came to rescue me when he found out that his father took me that almost confirmed my theory, but oddly enough I don't support it. I think perhaps Sam is supposed to save me from letting my past consume my present but how is he to do that when he is fighting demons of his own?_

_There was no way for me to ever explain to Sam how I felt. When he was recalling that story I zoned out in my own little memory of that day. Being so tired, hungry, afraid, ready and wanting to die right there in that dark room. When I heard him screaming my name I believed for a split second that I had died and Sam was heaven. His voice was an angel's coming to take me on to meet God, but when I heard the devil's voice mixed in as well I knew it was a reality._

_Sam was there. He was right there in that house and he was looking for me. I screamed and hollered but it was of no use. My mouth was taped and I was chained to the bed. It was hopeless but for some reason my heart still had faith. Faith that Sam was going to find me just like he did that day with the snake. He didn't know where I was but he could feel it in his heart that I was in danger and he found me. I knew I was saved all I had to do was sit back and wait for him to find me but he never did. I heard footsteps approaching and my heart was working overtime because of my excitement. My heart sank the instant I realize that it wasn't him. His father was storming towards me with a huge gash on his face and he was dripping blood everywhere. His eyes were so cold, angry, and I could tell he was aimed to kill. I thought I was going to get my wish that night. I couldn't feel anything at all and I was certain he had beaten me to death._

_I survived and I hate it and on top of that I resented Sam as well. I was sure he would run and get help and I would be rescued soon. I don't know how he found out but he did and I was finally going to be free. I waited around for days but no Sam. I thought maybe Dwight had done something to him and he was dead. But later that week I heard Dwight talking to the nice one about not having to worry about Sam and that if he knew what was good for him he would keep his mouth shut. I knew then he wasn't coming and that's when my hatred for Sam multiplied._

_Ugh! This is so ridiculous. Who was I to get mad at Sam for not being honest about the past when I wasn't myself? How was I supposed to expect Sam to save me from this madness called my life if I wasn't willing to let certain things go? Things like forgiving those who have wronged me like my sister and my parents. No scratch that, my sister Candace was only doing what she was used to doing and that was being submissive to my mother. Besides, I really missed her a lot and I needed someone to talk to in addition to Sam and Emma. I needed to tell Sam the truth about my past and maybe that will persuade him to open up about his as well. He had been through so much and I didn't understand that at first but now I do._

Mercedes slammed the pen down in her journal and blew out a loud frustrated sigh. She was fed up with the secrets and fed up with letting her past control her future. She hopped out of bed and began to make her way upstairs to Sam's room. When she made it there she didn't even bother to knock she just walked right in. The bed was empty but she notice the bathroom light was on. She didn't know what came over her but she waltzed over to the door, closed her eyes, and opened it. She waited a few seconds and when she didn't hear a yelp or screamed she peek out of one eye and saw Sam sitting on the toilet with the lid down looking at a photo in his hands. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice her standing there. She walked in and shut the door, locking it. She didn't want him to run away if things got too much to handle like before. She took a seat in front of him on the dirty clothes hamper and reached out to take the photo from him and he looked up at her.

"Mercedes. How did you get in here?" He asked looking surprised to see her.

"Hi Sam. I needed to talk to you and since you were avoiding me I thought I would come to you."

"I'm not avoiding you Rogue."

"Then what the hell do you call what you've been doing to me all afternoon and night?" Mercedes was starting to get annoyed.

"I was giving you some space that's all. I figured after what happened at Emma's you were mad and didn't want to talk to me."

"Well you couldn't have been more wrong. I was upset at first but now not so much."

She saw a tiny bit of relief flash across Sam's face so she decided to continue on.

"Sam I need to tell you something. I want us to be honest with each other like we use to before what happened to me occurred. I think it is the only way for us to move past this and get on with our lives." Sam let out a breath of air which she ignored and kept talking. "Firstly, I will admit I was mad earlier at your confession, but it wasn't entirely geared towards present you as it was past you."

"I don't understand." Sam said.

"When you came looking for me all those years ago I thought I was saved. But when I wasn't I was so infuriated with you."

"Why?" He asked stunned.

"Because of that stupid snake Sam! How was it that you were able to save me when I was far away from you? But when I needed you the most and was right under your nose you couldn't even find me. I told myself you didn't find me because you didn't want to."

"Mercedes I would have given anything to have found you that day. I would have killed my father if it came to that. I almost did but he threatened to kill you and my mom."

"I know that now Sam, but back then I didn't know what to think. I was so confused as to why all of this was happening."

"As was I. I wanted to tell someone so bad but I couldn't risk losing you. I kept quiet for my own selfish reasons and it backfired."

"Not really, I am here aren't I?"

"Yeah." He said running his hands through his hair. They set there in silence for a moment and Sam used the silence to debate whether or not to be honest with her as well. "I was pissed at you too Mercedes."

It was Mercedes turn to be stunned. "What? Why?"

"I was so angry in high school because I was mad at you for leaving me. For being so damn stubborn and not doing what I asked you to do. That night we had a football game and I told you to wait for me afterwards so we could walk to our spot together but you didn't want to." Sam said looking down at his hands. "I begged for you to just wait but you complained about not wanting to sit in the bleachers for fifteen minutes while we had a team meeting. I assumed that you were going to wait when I took your bag from you but when I came out you were already gone."

"I remember talking to you about the game and congratulating you on scoring the winning touchdown. I got upset with you for taking my bag so I took off."

"When you didn't show I knew something was wrong. I replayed that night in my head over and over again all through high school and every time I get pissed at you for not waiting."

"I'm so sorry Sam. You are right I should have just listened to you." Mercedes said placing a hand on his knee. "I lied to you when I said I didn't blame you for what happened. Apart of me did blame you for it but it was because of the lies your father filled my head with. How you never liked me and you were only my friend because my family had money. I was so hurt by it Sam. I was lost and desperate to be free. I was delirious and I just needed something or someone to blame for me being in that situation. I hope you're not mad."

"I can't be mad. I blamed myself for a long time as well. I kept saying it was something I could've done to prevent this. I am glad you told me the truth."

She was happy Sam had finally confessed about being angry. She was even happier to know that he wasn't upset about her blaming him either. Her happiness was bittersweet because now she knew she had to tell him what she had been dreading since they reunited. As if he had read her mind he looked up at her with the question lingering in his eyes.

"Mercedes." Sam began but Mercedes put her hand up to quiet him.

"I know what you are going to ask and I made a deal Sam and I am going to tell you what you want to know." Mercedes took a deep breath and exhaled it. "You and I both knew that your father had a drinking problem. He would come home sometimes smelling like the liquor store and your mother would always lock him in the guest bedroom and you and her would share your parents bed. You use to tell me how you could always tell what room your father had just left out of because his smell would stay behind. You father was surprisingly sober now that I think about it when he had me. I can't recall more than two incidents where he turned to the bottle. Anyway as you know I was beat, raped and starved, but how those three things made me feel weren't nearly as bad as compared to other things. I would never forget how they smelled Sam because I smelled: Just. Like. Them. I know you are going to think this is crazy but I hated when they bathed me or worse lay on top of me after they had their way with me. After the sex they would just lay there sweaty and stinky on top of me and it made me feel worse than the actual rape. After a few minutes I was chained to the tub and bathed like a child with the same mens body wash they would use. It was the most degrading, tormenting, and disgusting thing I ever experience. Some days I smelled like sweaty men and others I smelled like a clean man but the smell only reminded me of the bath itself."

"What? I'm not getting this Mercedes. How is a bath worse than getting taken advantage of?"

"It wasn't the bath it was the way they would bathe me that I didn't like. The slow agonizing way they would play with my female parts I didn't like to be touched in that way and the things they would say as they washed me. I may have been clean Sam, but afterwards I only felt filthy."

"OK! I don't want to know anymore. Save it." Sam said getting mad and waving his hands in the air between them. "You keep saying they who else was there?"

"I don't know I never saw his face just his eyes."

"How many men was it?"

"Just the two." She said looking down at the picture she had taken from Sam. The photo he was looking at was one from the night of the Sweethearts Dance. She had a copy of this in her box of photos.

Sam watched her carefully as she examined the photograph. She didn't know it but whenever he felt like he had enough, that picture would always give him the strength he needed to pull through. It was his happiest moment that he shared with her.

"Mercedes what do you remember about the night that picture was taken?" He asked her nervously.

"I know you went with Quinn Fabray." She said mockingly.

"Is that all you can remember?" Sam said a little disappointed. "A lot happened that night."

"You were crowned king. I danced with Rory Flanagan and he kept stepping on my toes." She giggled.

"Mercedes I don't know if you know but before you were taken, you and I were sorta, kinda...um dating."

When Mercedes didn't react to his confession he was starting to regret his admission.

"I know." She said moments later. "You asked me out at the dance and gave me the charm bracelet."

"How did you...wait you mean this whole time I was fighting with myself on whether or not to tell you we were dating and you knew? Well damn." Sam said and shook his head laughing. "I was a nervous wreck."

"Sorry I didn't know what to do about that."

"How did you know?"

"My journal, memories, a mixture of both really. Sam I don't want to risk our friendship by jumping back into a relationship with you. I have to let you know that reading about us and the first six months before I was kidnap brought back a lot of my old feelings. These last three weeks living with you has been a constant struggle between the way the old me feels and the way the new me feels."

"Meaning the new you don't like me romantically. I get it." Sam scoffed.

"I didn't say that. The thing is I am just getting my life back and there are so many things that I missed out on and I want to experience some of them before I start dating. For instance I know your twenty first birthday is coming up and I read in my journal that you and I always planned a big trip to Vegas for our birthdays. I say we save up some money and go."

"That could be fun. But you aren't twenty one yet."

"I know but people always mistake me and my sister as one another I could borrow her ID."

"Aren't you mad at her?"

"Not anymore, I miss her a lot and I wanted to ask you to take me to see her so we can reconcile."

"Just name the time and I'll do it. She really misses you too Rogue." Sam smiled. "I'm glad you are going to work things out with her."

"Me too."

"I'm sorry for freaking out on you today Mercedes."

"It's ok. Sam I want us to take our time and rebuild our friendship. If it turns out to be something more in the future then so be it, but right now I can't help but feel like damaged goods."

"You would never be damaged goods to me Mercedes." Sam said pulling her into a hug. "You are my best friend who went through a terrible ordeal and I applaud you for the courage and strength you've shown since you have been back. I don't know if anyone else could've have done it."

"Thanks Sam. That means a whole lot coming from you." They stayed in the embrace for a few more moments until Sam suggested that they both get some actual sleep. He wasn't the least bit surprised when Mercedes climbed in his bed instead of her own snuggling up next to him, and fell fast asleep.

* * *

**AN: Once again sorry for the long wait for the update. That was chapter eight what did you guys think. Question who spotted the lie Mercedes told Sam and why do you think she lied? What do you think about Mercedes confessing that she did blame Sam for her kidnapping? Let me know in a review and tell me if you think they are actually ready for a real relationship. Till next time-tdminor86**

**Next chapter: Sam and Mercedes head to Vegas for Sam's birthday.**


	9. That Nagging Feeling

**AN: I know, I know I suck, it has been far too long since I have updated and I have no valid excuses, I just needed some time away from this story. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter and to those who have been patiently waiting for this update. Shout out to my incredible Beta Rose who always does an excellent job of making sure my writing is readable. Please take the time to leave a review I always enjoy reading what you guys think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the ridiculousness that is called Glee.**

* * *

Chapter 9: **That Nagging Feeling.**

* * *

_May 21, 2012_

_I hate when I get that feeling like I am supposed to be somewhere or I am forgetting to do something? Ever since I first opened my eyes this morning I have had this nagging feeling like I should be preparing for some big thing or doing something. I ran down this small list in my head of all the possibilities of what it could be. Appointment with Emma, no. Time for my menstrual cycle, no. Did Sam and I have any plans for today, no? This was driving me absolutely insane! On a lighter note, Sam and I have been doing great since our talk in the bathroom. I have been busy helping him with his final exams and making sure that he keeps a level head and focus. Now that school is over we have been busy planning our trip to Vegas. Ten days to go and we are on the road! Something else that has happened is I finally patched things up with my sister, Candace, and I am so glad I did, because she and Noah are having a baby. I am excited to become an auntie, Candy told me that she can remember how she and I use to have talks about being aunties and what we thought our kids would look like but I don't seem to recall them. Everything seems to be going good and I was happy except for this damn nagging feeling. UGH!_

Mercedes was anxious. The entire morning before Sam had left, she had this nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was supposed to happen or was going to happen. She tried to tell herself that the way she was feeling was because she was going to spend the entire day and part of the afternoon alone. Sam left out around 7am, saying that he needed to take care of some important business. When she asked if it was something she could help him with he replied no and this was something he had to do alone. For a minute, a short minute Mercedes had panicked, but then she remembered that she and Sam promised no more secrets. It didn't make her feel all the way better but it was enough to pushed the doubt and second guessing to the back of her mind.

Mercedes quickly realized that having the whole day to herself was not going to be as peaceful and awesome as Sam claimed it would be. She became bored and was missing Sam before 10 even came around. She called her sister to see if she wanted company but unfortunately for her she had been called into court today. This was a moment where Mercedes had actually missed being on speaking terms with her parents, because more than anything she wanted to call her mother and ask her to come over. She pondered on the thought for a minute but in the end stubbornness had won out over rationality.

Around noon Mercedes had had a quick lunch of leftover tacos from yesterday and watched about an hour of television before that anxiousness had returned. She tried to fight it by mindlessly cleaning. She tried to think of other things like what she and Sam would do once they made it to Nevada and if using her sister's ID would actually work. She rummaged through Sam's CD collection and placed her choice into the player and pressed play. She smiled as the sounds of Alicia Keys: Diary of Alicia Keys began to fill the air. She picked it out because Sam told her she had sung If I Ain't Got You before in a talent show. She concentrated on the music playing as she started back cleaning the house. This seemed to be working, she would sing along to the lyrics that she knew and loudly hummed the parts she didn't. After she had almost completed her task, Mercedes was starting to feel like today may not be as bad as she originally thought.

* * *

Sam hated to leave Mercedes all alone but he had today planned for a while now and there was no way he could miss out on it. He made a promise that he would be here, and as much as it pained him to abandon Mercedes he had no choice. He had been driving for about six hours now and he finally reached his destination. He was a bit tired but when he pulled up he spotted her standing in the parking lot, next to her car.

"Hey Ma." Sam said when he reached her and gave her a huge hug. "I've missed you."

"It's so good to see you, and I have missed you too." Mary said hugging him tightly to her chest. "You look really well; I take it that Mercedes has something to do with this."

"How do you know about Mercedes, I was going to wait and tell you today?" Sam asked looking confused.

"Please, you think Delia wasn't going to call me when her precious baby girl had run off with my troublesome son?" Mary told Sam. "How is she by the way? I know she knows Dwight had something to do with what happened to her."

"She is doing ok, we're working on getting things back to the way they used to be. It was a rough first few weeks, but now we are in a good place."

"Are you two back together?"

"No, she isn't ready for that. I told her I wasn't either and I think we need to take things slowly and figure out a few things before we even think about a relationship."

"Which is code for you are ready for a relationship now, but you will wait for her no matter how long it takes."

"What? I never said that."

"Boy, don't what me?" Mary said knowingly. "I know you like the back of my hand. I carried you for nine months and went through 27 hours of labor, you can't fool me. You my dear, sweet son are a hopeless romantic, you wear your heart on your sleeve and I am willing to bet that the moment you found out she was back and healthy and alive you were ready for her to be your girlfriend again."

"I am just starting to get to know her again, so this time you are wrong."

"Sure I am. You want to run that lie back by me one more time? I have watched you these past few years while she was missing. You never stop loving her, even when you were with that girl with the God awful nasty attitude you still looked as if you were lovesick for Mercedes. All I am going to say is Sam I know you, and I don't want you to try to force that girl to feel how you feel before she is ready. Believe me nothing good will come of this if you do. You think you lost her eight years ago, try to move too fast with her and she will be gone for good."

"I get it mom, and you are right, I do still feel like I did, before she was taken, but I would never force Mercedes to do anything she wasn't comfortable doing especially after everything she has been through." Sam assured her.

"Good, I hope the two of you work things out soon. You ready to do this?" She asked him and the light, happy mood suddenly became gloomy.

"Yeah let's go in."

The two of them walked towards the receptionist and signed in next to their names on the visitors' sheet. They handed him their IDs and waited as he checked them out. Once he had finished, she pressed a button to buzz them in, and they made their way to a table and waited. When the person they were visiting had sat down the two smiled but it faltered when they notice the lifeless grin that they had got in return.

* * *

Mercedes was now on her third CD, and lying across her bed reading a book. After cleaning up she washed three loads of clothes and went for a walk. She just couldn't seem to shake whatever it was that was bothering her. She would be fine for minutes and then all of a sudden BAM it would hit her again. This time she was listening to a Teagan and Sara CD. She wondered if this CD even belonged to him, because she just couldn't picture Sam listening to music by a group that wasn't country, pop, or Hip Hop and R&B. She was enjoying this CD but when the last track began to play she stiffened in her bed. She had heard this song somewhere else before. She jumped up out of the bed and grabbed the CD case. She scanned through the list of songs until she came up to track 12.

"Don't Confess." Mercedes said aloud. "Where have I heard this song before?"  
She pulled out her journals and scanned through page after page trying to see if something would spark her memory as to where she had heard this song before. She had it playing on repeat on the little boom box sitting on the dresser. After she couldn't find anything in her journals she pulled out the scrapbooks and began to search them. She studied each photo, entry, and item carefully but still she was coming up empty. She was really starting to frustrate herself, and she wanted to give up but that nagging feeling she had earlier had turned into a gigantic, haunting, sensation and she knew there was no way she could stop now. She was coming up on the last couple of pages of one of the scrapbooks when she saw a photo of her and Sam sitting on a bench at a park. They both had a Popsicle and matching red grins. She spotted a sign in the back of the photo that said Lake Treadway State Park. Without even thinking she called a cab, and grabbed the photo.

It didn't take any time for the taxicab driver to find the park. She asked him to wait and she started walking around hoping to find something familiar. Once there she spotted the bench and the sign but she didn't feel any different so she kept going. The park was empty except for an old couple who was walking the trail and a couple of guys playing basketball. Mercedes took off down the trail; it was along the lake and eventually drifted into a wooded area. Here she was starting to get a sense of deja vu, and she knew she was going in the right direction. About a quarter of a mile in she saw a small gazebo. She walked over to it and sat down.

_OOOOOOOOOO_

_This was different, very different from what Mercedes was used to. He was actually going to take her out in public. Mercedes saw this as an opportunity to flee. Tonight he wanted to do something special; he bought her a dress and tried his best to fix her hair. She sat there already trying to formulate a plan of escape. She cooperated with every little thing he wanted her to do knowing that she might have a chance to finally be free. Once he was satisfied with the way she looked, he kissed her gently on the lips and called her beautiful. He grabbed her hand and they began to leave her room._

_"What no handcuffing your wrist to mine, or taping my mouth until we get where we were going?" Mercedes said._

_"No, not tonight Shell, this is special. I want us to have a normal night. I am going to try to make you feel as relaxed as possible." He told her. "No handcuffs and no gagging as long as you promise to be a good girl."_

_"Ok."_

_Mercedes stared out at the beautiful moonlight as he drove them to wherever they were going. She missed this, seeing the brightness of the moon shining down made her think of when she and Sam would sit on their rooftop and talk for hours until one of both of their parents would call and say it was time to come home. Some days her father would show up, because they would fall asleep wrapped in Sam's jacket. She thought about him a lot lately, and often wondered if he still thought of her as well. She had a lot of time to herself, especially since the angry one had gone out of town. It wasn't as bad as it used to be when he was around. She didn't have to worry about the abuse, or being tied up, the nice one was a completely different person whenever the angry one was out of the way. Some days she would find herself feeling pity or sorry for him. He really was just lost, and she sometimes felt as if she could help him._

_"We're here." He told her as he parked the car at what looked to be a park._

_He grabbed a huge basket off the back seat, walked around and opened her car door for her. She had braced herself to be pulled roughly from the car but when he extended his hand out for her to take she didn't know what to think. She hesitated for a second but finally took his hand. He led her to a secluded part of the park and she noticed a small gazebo. __**"He dressed me all up for a late night picnic?"**__ Mercedes thought to herself. When they made it to the gazebo he helped her sit down. He placed the basket on the table and removed four scented lanterns, and lit each one. He pulled out a couple of trays of food, some drinks, and even a small box, which look like it came from a bakery. The last thing he took out was an IPOD. _

_Mercedes watched him as he scroll through the list and after a few moments pressed play. She didn't recognized the song, but everything about this whole 'special picnic' was weirding her out. He was nice true enough but music, candlelight dinners, trips to the park wasn't him. Something was up and she just didn't know what it was._

_"What is all this?" Mercedes asked nervously._

_"We're celebrating, today is a big day Shell, and I wanted to do something special with you." He said as he took a seat next to her._

_"If you really want to do me any type of favor you could let me go." She said under her breath._

_"What was that?"_

_"I said oh I didn't know."_

_It's ok."_

_Mercedes had to admit that the night wasn't all that bad. He didn't yell or screamed and she even felt, dare she say, the most comfortable around him than she had in a long time. He acted like a gentleman and treated her like a real date instead of someone that he had been holding hostage for the last three years. At one point the two of them even shared a laugh. Mercedes became suspicious when he stood and asked her for a dance. This wasn't like him, he just didn't do these types of things, and so she decided to take advantage of the extra niceness of the __**nice one**__ while she could, plus a part of her was too scared to say no. She told him yes, and she stood as well and he took her hand leading her to the middle of the gazebo. _

_The dance started off awkwardly neither one of them knowing where they wanted to place their hands. She didn't want to embrace him like a couple did because they weren't one no matter what foolishness he tried to force into her head over the years. A new song began to play and just like most of them she didn't know it. She listened closely to the lyrics as a girl sang about confessing. She closed her eyes and bit the inside of her cheeks, trying to calm the rapidness of her beating heart as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest. She was no longer comfortable; the calmness she had felt earlier was gone and quickly replaced with fear. She didn't think of this before and she felt stupid for thinking that he just wanted to do something nice for her._

_"Are you going to kill me?" She asked halfway through their dance. She jumped a little when she felt him chuckle against her._

_"What makes you think I am going to kill you?"_

_"Well this, all of this. The picnic and taking me out, the dancing. What is all of this? You are nice but never this nice. I can't help but think that you are setting this up so you can shoot me in the back of the head or something."_

_"No! I love you Shell. I wouldn't kill you. You mean too much to me." He told her seriously. "It's my birthday and I just wanted to do something besides sit at home. We have had a few bumps in the road and I just thought we both needed this."_

_Did he just say he loved me? What am I supposed to do with that? One thing was certain she was not going to say it back. "Oh, I just assume..."_

_"It's ok, I'm sorry if I scared you. What do say we go out and celebrate each year for our birthdays?"_

_"Sure, sounds fun... Happy Birthday." Mercedes said and even though she didn't mean it she felt obligated to say it, just in case there was some type of way it would help her to help him in the future. What scared her the most was him saying there would be many more years of this._

_OOOOOOOOOO  
_

Mercedes felt empty, completely empty. Today was his birthday and that's why she had that stupid feeling. She instantly regretted coming here to this park. Every year after that first night he would bring her back here up until his last one. A lot of things had happen that year so a birthday celebration was out of the question. She thought she would be relieved that she figured out why she kept thinking she had to do something today but now all she wanted was for this day to come to an end. She left the park feeling worse than she did when her day began, and she wished that by the time she made it home Sam would be there to cheer her up. She was asleep by the time Sam finally made it home, and she could feel him give her a kiss to the forehead before he left out of the bedroom.

* * *

"Sam Evans I am warning you now, if anything happens to my sister while you are in Vegas, I do not care if I am pregnant or not, I will chop you up in a million pieces." Candace told Sam as she hugged him. The day for Vegas had arrived and Mercedes still hadn't told Sam about what she had discovered 10 days ago. She didn't think it was necessary for her to even bring it up.

"Don't worry so much, I'll make sure to take care of her." He assured her as he stepped out of the embrace.

"You better. Now give your big sister a hug, before you miss your plane." She told Mercedes.

"Thanks for bringing us to the airport Candy." Mercedes said hugging her sister. "Also tell Noah I said thanks for the fake ID."

"I will. I want you to have the time of your life down there, Sis. Get drunk and make out with tons of sexy men. You two be careful and call me as soon as you land."

"Ok, we will." Sam and Mercedes said.

Mercedes was giddy the entire plane ride to Vegas. Sam watched as she bounced lightly in her seat like a little kid going to Disneyland. Once they finally touched down, she couldn't stop singing that Elvis Presley song about Vegas. She sent a text to Candy and let her know they made it safely. Sam checked them into their hotel room and the bellhop showed them to their suite for the weekend. The room was gorgeous, when Sam's mother found out that him and Mercedes were going to Vegas for his birthday, she and Will had decided to provide fare for their hotel and even threw in a little gambling money. The majority of the suite was black and white and it had three separated sections. They mini living room had a black sofa and two fluffy white chairs. There was a glass table that had fat curvy black legs, and underneath it was a black and white rug. The walls had a few paintings, mirrors all around them. When they made it into the bedroom, Mercedes plopped on the huge king sized bed that was covered in a sea of pillows. Unlike the other parts of the suite the bedroom was the barest room. Besides the bed and dresser the only other thing was a flat screen mounted into the wall, and a small chair which sat in the corner. Mercedes favorite part of the bedroom was the enormous crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling directly above the bed.

"So what do you want to do first?" Sam asked her after he tipped the bell hop.

"I dunno, it's your birthday. What do you want to do?"

"Well, Will did tell me about some of his friends that had a show down here, He had them to reserve some tickets for us but that's not till tonight. Wanna go sightseeing?"

"Ok, can I take a shower first? I want to change into something more Vegasy."

"You are more excited about this trip than I am, aren't you?"

"Maybe. I just want to have some fun and forget about everything that has been going on."

"Well that's what we will do, this weekend will be about letting go and letting loose, Rogue. Agreed?"

"Agreed? Now, who's ready for some Vegas?"

* * *

**AN: That was chapter 9 hope you enjoyed it. The part with Sam and his mom and who they went to visit was totally necessary to the plot and you will soon see why. What do you think of his mother's advice about Mercedes? What did you think about Mercedes not telling Sam about what she remembered? Who do you think Sam and Mary went to see? Let me know in a review. There is only about four or five chapters left to this story. We will find out who the nice one was soon and whether or not they are still alive. Thanks for reading and hopefully I will have the update soon.  
**  
**Next Chapter: Sam and Mercedes get loose in Vegas, and our favorite boyfriends makes their way into the story. Till next time-tdminor86**


	10. What Happens In Vegas

**AN: I'm back! Thanks to all of those who took the time and read and reviewed the last chapter. Thanks for all of the new favorites and followers I received, I really appreciate it. I loved reading some of the theories that many of you have. Thanks so much to my amazing beta Rose for making my words understandable. I am dedicating this chapter to Leeisme because of the great review and PM that was sent to me. So here is chapter 10. Don't forget to review and please enjoy. FYI, this chapter is like a reverse Sour Patch Kid, it starts off sweet and then ends sour, sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own that sad show called Glee or it's characters.**

* * *

Chapter 10: **What Happens In Vegas...**

* * *

How many times during the day did Sam stare at her infectious smile? At least 100. She was happy, truly happy, well at least the happiest he had seen her in so long and it warmed his heart to know that he was part of the reason for making her smile. The first couple of hours in Vegas was spent sightseeing the touristy city. The visit to Star Trek The Experience was by far his favorite part. Judging by her reaction and childlike behavior Mercedes' favorite was their trip to the Adventuredome. He watched as she screamed and yelled with burst of joy and excitement and there were plenty of times where he wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss her.

The way she was acting totally reminded him of the Mercedes he used to know. She was slowly becoming herself again, which made Sam more and more confident that this trip was exactly what she needed for her to move on and forget every bad thing that happened to her. He couldn't help himself throughout the day as he would occasionally grab her hand and lace it with his as they would walk the Vegas strip. If he wasn't holding her hand then he was finding some type of way to touch her. Whether it be an arm placed on her shoulder, or a small rub down her arm, or he would find some reason to hug her.

He knew it was risky but, she really didn't seem to mind it. He tried to convince himself it was just some friendly gestures, but Sam knew he was doing it because he didn't want any person of the opposite sex to think she wasn't his. Sure it was a little possessive, but he had seen plenty of stories where two people meet and have the time of their life in Las Vegas and wound up married. He wasn't going to take any chances when it came to Mercedes. He had seen all the lip bites, and lustrous, stares of several men throughout the day at her, and he didn't like it, not one bit. Sometimes it seemed a little awkward but he tried not to let it affect his day.

The only thing that was ruining the day so far for him was the constant buzzing of his cell phone. he knew who it was and he had no desire to respond. He thought he had closed this chapter in his life, but apparently he didn't. He figured if he kept ignoring the texts and calls, then they would take the hint that he wasn't going to answer.

* * *

Once their sightseeing adventure was over, they were both a little sweaty and decided to go back to the hotel to get ready for the show tonight.

"So what kind of show is this anyway?" She asked him when they made it back up to the suite.

"Um...it's called April's and Holly's Vegas Extravaganza. It's sorta like a variety show. Will said there was singing, dancing, some comedy, and it was a little burlesque." Sam said plopping down on the bed. "Since it takes you longer why don't you shower first, and then while you are doing your womanly thing I will shower and still beat you at getting dressed."

"I don't take that long to get dress." She said with a small pout and Sam thought it was the cutest thing ever. "Just because i don't throw on the first thing I see and call it looking presentable doesn't mean I take forever."

"Right, because putting on and taking off a thousand outfits before finally deciding on one only to complain about it as the day progress is the way to go." Sam said sarcastically earning him a pillow to the face. "No. You. Didn't."

"Yes I did." Mercedes said already armed and ready with another pillow.

Mercedes was expecting for him to try to counterattack her with a pillow of his own but what she didn't expect was for Sam to pick her up and swing her around, throwing her onto the bed. She let out a small yelp. Sam held her with one hand and he wiggled the other tauntingily.

"Apologize or it's on." He said and Mercedes dared him with her eyes. "One last chance Rogue or I will show no mercy."

"I am not afraid of you Sam Evans. Bring it." She responded confidently.

She knew Sam all so well and just as she thought he went straight for her sides. She blocked his attack with her elbow and pushed him upwards, giving her enough room to shift their positions. He tried to pull her back but she was too fast and before he knew she had flipped him and he was underneath her. He tried to moved and she threw her leg over him straddling his waist.

"Now what were you saying?" She asked as she pinned him down to the bed. "Hmm...Something about showing no Mercy."

"Mercedes.." Sam said. "You know I was just playing."

"I don't think you were. If I think that I wouldn't have flipped the script on you, I would be hollering in tears as you tickled me till I peed my pants right now."

"What...no, I...was going to give you a friendly handshake." He lied.

"Friendly handshake my ass." She said laughing.

Her laughing was causing her to move and wriggled on top of him and Mercedes didn't know just how much she was torturing him. He loved the site of her on top of him but he was more afraid of the erection that he was sure to come, if she continued to move the way she was against him. He reached for her hips to try and steady them, keep them from moving, but she grabbed his wrists and pushed them above his head.

Mercedes enjoyed having the control over Sam. She remembered whenever they were little kids he would always get the upper hand on her and leave her a crying, laughing, mess. All day long they have been in some type of flirty state. She didn't know whether to enjoy it, accept it, or be terrified of it. She would admit that it was a little awkward at first, But, as the day went on she started to feel more comfortable. She had a plan when they return to the hotel room to try to do something to relieve some of the awkward tension between them. Her idea was for them to both take a shot out of the minibar, to calm their nerves.

But, instead of lightening the mood, the position that they were in right now did nothing but heighten it. Reaching out to grab Sam's hand and pushing them above his head was a mistake, when she did so she unintentionally grind her hips into Sam's waist. She heard Sam hiss when it happened and for some reason her eyes closed on their own. She felt his erection poke her and she immediately jumped up off him and ran into the bathroom. She leaned over the counter and gripped it hard to try to calm her nerves and bring her breathing under control. Seconds later she heard a knock on door.

"Rogue, I'm so sorry." Sam said through the door. "I'm a guy and well sometimes when you have a beautiful girl on top of you things happen that you can't really control."

"I'm okay. I just need to take a shower so we can get ready for the show, I'll be out in a little bit." Mercedes replied still not opening the door. "You can't put the whole blame on you, I shouldn't have done that."

"Mercedes maybe we should just talk."

I'm okay Sam. Like I said before I'm fine, I'll be out in a little bit so we can go to the show. I don't want what just happened to affect the rest of the night. We came to have a good time and that's what I plan on doing."

"Mercedes…" Sam went to try to say something again but she cut him off.

"Sam, don't make me come out the bathroom and kick your bony ass. I said I'm fine and we are going to have a good time, now move away from the door." Mercedes said and Sam could hear the smile in her voice so he knew that maybe things were okay at least for now.

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going."

Mercedes leaned her head against the wall in the shower so that the water ran down her back. The warm feeling of the water tickling on her skin was just what she needed in order to calm her nerves. She kept thinking about what happened in the room. She had a plan to tell Sam how she felt on this trip but she didn't want them to just jump right into things, she wanted them to take it slow. Partly because she was afraid that Sam wasn't ready to return the feeling. But all of the touching and the flirty nature from earlier made her confident that he was.

The whole time Mercedes was in the shower Sam was in the room doing push-ups, and sit ups. He had to get the thoughts of her straddling his lap out of his mind. He had a plan to tell her how he felt on this trip even though his mother told him to take things slow. Instead, all he did was scare her.

* * *

Once the two of them were ready, they made their way to the casino. Sam knew that this was going to be a tough night, because when Mercedes came out of from the bathroom her hair was in his favorite way with curls cascading down her back. She had on a tight, black, dress that stop right above her knees, which she paired with some calf high black boots that made her legs and thighs look amazing. They had about an hour and a half till the show was to start so Sam asked Mercedes if she wanted to try her hand at blackjack. There was only one seat left at the table so once Mercedes was seated Sam stood behind her. She tried hard to concentrate on the game. It didn't help that he kept rubbing his hands up and down her exposed arms every few seconds. She saw herself going between winning a hand or two and then losing a hand or two. When the waitress came over and asked if anyone wanted a drink she quickly raised her hand, and she ordered the same drink she heard the female a couple of seats down from her order because she knew nothing about alcohol.

"What do you know about around a Rum and Coke, Rogue?" Sam asked.

"Just want to try something I haven't had before." She said not turning around to look at him.

When the drinks came she quickly gulped it down. It burned her throat, but she didn't care. About 20 hands in and three drinks later Mercedes was actually winning. The $70 that she had sat at the table with, quickly turned into well over 500. She had to thank Noah for all of the quick blackjack and other table game lessons that he had gave her before they came on the trip. When she dropped down to an even 500 she decided to cash out.

"You know why you won don't you?" Sam said smugly, once again grabbing her hand as they walk towards the cashier.

"Because of Noah and all of the tutorials he gave me before we left."

"No, because I was a good luck charm. In case you didn't notice every time I touched you, you won a hand, every time I didn't touch you, you lost."

"Oh is that what it was?" Mercedes said unconvincingly. "I'm going to let you have that one Sam."

* * *

The April and Holly Vegas Extravaganza Show was everything that Will said it was going to be. They had a whole variety of different acts. Sam's favorite was the acrobats, jugglers, and dancers. Mercedes enjoyed the dancers as well, but her favorite part of the show was Kurt and Blaine's musical mishaps. All during that show she could feel Sam's phone vibrate in his pocket that was pushed up against her thigh. She asked him if he was going to answer it because it could have been an emergency, but he said for her not to worry about it.

After the show Sam and Mercedes were allowed to go backstage because of their passes. Mercedes was so excited to meet Kurt and Blaine. Like she figured out during the show they were a couple. Sam watched as she hit it off with the two of them, and they invited Mercedes and Sam to join them at an after party. As soon as they made it the spot, Blaine grabbed Mercedes hand and pulled her on to the dance floor. Kurt and Sam made their way to the VIP section and sat and watched as the two danced on the dance floor.

"I know you guys said that you were just friends, but I can so tell that you are in love with her." Kurt said taking a sip of his champagne.

"Is it that obvious?" Sam said running his hand through his hair.

"Yes, only because you look like I did my freshman year of college."

Kurt told Sam the story of how him and Blaine had met. They both were accepted into a art school called NYADA. Blaine was the most handsome man that Kurt had ever seen. But he was too afraid to talk to the confident singer and dancer. He kept writing all these love notes to him about how much he wanted them to be more than just friends.

"Four months into our freshman year, Blaine started dating the RA in my building named Sebastian." Kurt began. "It crushed me to see them together. I kept thinking that if I would have just told Blaine how I felt at first then this would have never happened. I was so lonely, and depressed, but it was all my fault. Luckily a few months later Sebastian was caught cheating on Blaine so that's when I took my chance. I told him how I felt, and he told me that he had always liked me but he wasn't sure if my feelings were the same."

"It's not that simple between Mercy and I. There is a lot of things that you don't know about."

"Things like what? I don't mean to be nosy but I don't understand how you can love someone and not be able to tell them how you feel."

"Things that I cannot explain to you, it's too personal and I don't want to put Mercedes' business out there like that."

"Was she hurt by someone close to you or her? Is that the reason why you seem to be afraid to tell her?" Kurt seriously.

"Yes, more then you know." Sam said taking a swallow of his beer.

"Are you afraid that she doesn't feel the same way about you?"

"No, I know that she feels the same way about me. The thing is we promised that we would take things slowly, and I don't want her to think that I am trying to rush her or break my promise to her."

"I guess I need to know the full story in order to understand, but I will tell you this and then I'll leave it alone. You can't keep how you feel bottled up inside, she's a very beautiful, one of kind. woman and if you wait too long someone else will come along." The entire time Kurt was speaking Sam glanced down at Mercedes dancing with Blaine on the dance floor, he watched as she laughed, and danced carefree.

Kurt was right he couldn't wait forever to tell her, if he did, who knows what would happen. Mercedes was a beautiful girl, and she was the most important person to him in his life. Losing her again like he did eight years ago would absolutely kill him. He couldn't stand to see her with someone else, growing up having the life that he was supposed to have with her all because he's too chicken to tell her how he felt. Right then and there he made the decision to tell her once the trip was over. He knew his mother told him to wait, but they had already been through so much and life has a funny way of tricking you and making you think that everything is going to be perfect when it's not.

Sam's phone had rang for the thousandth time that day so he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"What!" Sam answered the phone annoyed.

He waited for the person on the other end to respond.

"I told you not to worry about where I am or who I'm with. It doesn't even matter anymore. Leave me alone! For the last time I don't want to talk to you!" Sam said angrily into the phone and hung up.

Kurt suggested that him and Sam join Mercedes and Blaine on the dance floor. Once they made it down there Sam wrapped his arms around a giddy Mercedes.

"I was wondering when you were going to get up and come down here and join me." Mercedes said.

"Sorry, I was having a talk with Kurt. He seems like a really cool guy."

"Yes, Blaine is absolutely fabulous. I feel like I have known him my whole life."

A slow song came on and Mercedes intertwined her fingers behind Sam's neck. She laid her head down on his shoulder as he rocked them back and forth to the music.

"So, how did your little talk with lover boy go?" Blaine asked Kurt as they danced not too far from Mercedes and Sam.

"Like I guessed, he's in love with her."

"She's in love with him too. I could tell. She kept wondering when he was going to come dance with her. I ask her if she was going to tell him, and she said she was..."

"Afraid?" Kurt said knowingly.

"Yeah."

"Something bad must have happened to the two of them. It's a shame because I see them as one of those lasting couples. What they have is what I like to call a raw, true, love. I still have hope though." Kurt said.

"Yes, they make a beautiful couple."

"I'll just patiently wait for the wedding invitations in the mail." Kurt said kissing his lover on the lips.

By the end of the night Sam was the most sober out of the four of them. After his second beer he decided to cut it short and drink club soda for the rest of the night. He wasn't going to lie, he was tempted by the bottles after bottles of $700 champagne that was on the table. But ever since his whole exploration with drugs and alcohol back after Mercedes went missing, he promised his mother she would never have to see that side of him again. Kurt and Sam said their goodbyes once the limo had made it to Mercedes and Sam hotel. Mercedes was a little buzzed but not too tipsy to walk unlike a passed out Blaine. She kissed Kurt twice on the cheek and said goodnight but not before she made promises with them to meet up for breakfast the next morning.

* * *

Mercedes hummed a song the entire trip up to their suite she was happy, she had just had one of the best days of her life today, and she was even more happy that she got to share it with her best friend. Sam was surprised that this time she was the one who initiated the hand holding. She leaned against him putting her head on his shoulder as they waited in the elevator for it to take them to the room.

"This has been the best day, I don't think I've ever laughed and smiled so hard before in my life." Mercedes said as they were reaching the top floor.

"Well, that's good to hear. That's what this whole trip is about right, you having a good time and enjoying yourself." Sam said rubbing his hand down her arm.

Once inside the room he helped Mercedes to the bed. He kneeled down in front of her to help her take off her boots. Mercedes leaned forward placing her hands on his shoulders and he started to unzip her first shoe. Instead of concentrating on the task at hand Sam couldn't help but stare at the brown doe eyes of his best friend. After taking off her first boot he rub the sole of her foot slowly. He reached out to brush a piece of hair that had fallen onto her face behind her ear, next thing he knew his thumb was tracing the outline of her cheek. From there, his thumb traveled up to the bridge of her nose, then underneath both of her eyes. He watched as her eyelids fluttered shut, as is if she was enjoying the feel of his touch. Next, he moved his thumb along her top lip and then moved to her bottom. Mercedes breath had hitched.

"Sam are you going to kiss me?" Mercedes said with her eyes still shut barely above a whisper.

"I want to, so bad but I don't want to rush you into anything you are not comfortable with." Sam said his voice low and deep as well. "We are going to take things slow remember."

"I'm not afraid any more. I have thought about it long and hard and I know what I want."

"What do you want Mercedes?"

"I think… I am… ready for a relationship." She said nervously.

"Are you sure? Because I am ready for a relationship with you too." Sam said placing his forehead against hers.

"I am, but I am going to be honest with you Sam, I'm a little scared." She confessed.

"So am I, Rogue, so am I."

Sam slowly descended his lips on her. He made sure to kiss her soft, gentle, and carefully. This is what he has been waiting for, for so long now, and now that he had it was everything and more. Her lips were just as soft as he imagined. He didn't need to explore inside of her mouth because her lips alone were driving him crazy. After a few moments they both pulled apart and came up for air.

"That was one of the best things I have ever experienced." Mercedes said trying to catch her breath.

"Tell me about it." Sam said and they both smiled.

Mercedes caught Sam off guard when she pulled him into another kiss. This kiss was a little less cautious than the first. He cupped her face, and this time around he ran his tongue across her bottom lip seeking for permission to enter.

Mercedes felt as in Sam had set her lips on fire. She loved kissing him. When Sam ran his tongue across her lips, she wasn't quite sure what to do. She opened her mouth and almost freaked out when Sam's tongue entered it. She kept her composure, remembering some of the things she heard about French kissing. She massaged his tongue with hers while reaching up and grabbing a handful of his golden locks.

Sam couldn't help moaning into her mouth. He loved the feel of her hands in his hair, which caused him to lose control. Sam scooted her towards the middle of the bed, lying on top of her. He kissed her roughly, combing his fingers through her hair. The longer the kiss went on the more heated it became. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were the smacking and sucking of lips, and the quickened pants between them.

Sam's placed his right hand underneath Mercedes dress and began to caress her thigh as his lips were busy placing tiny nips to her neck. As his hand roamed farther up her body he could feel Mercedes start to tense a little, and as soon as he ran a finger across her erect nipple she panicked.

"Sam, I need you to stop please." She said and he could hear the fear in her voice.

Immediately Sam halted his ministrations. He rose up off of her and sat next to her in the bed.

"I'm so sorry." He said worried that he may have just scared her.

"It's ok, I am not comfortable with doing those types of things yet. I mean I liked kissing you, but when I felt your hand...it just...made me think..."

"Don't, you don't have to say it." Sam said cutting her off. He laid back down beside her making sure he was face to face with her.

"I want to make you feel comfortable. I know that you went through a terrible time. I don't want you to think that I am going to be expecting anything out of this relationship other than what you want to give. I want you to know that I will wait for you for as long as it takes for you to be comfortable about what we are doing." Sam said cupping her cheek. "You mean everything to me Mercy, and I could never take that for granted."

"Thank you Sam that means so much coming from you." Mercedes said grabbing his hand. "It's going to take a while for me to get used to being in a relationship with someone that I actually care about."

"Like I said I will wait for you, even if I have to wait forever." Sam wrapped Mercedes closely in his arms. Tonight was the first night of what he hoped was many that he slept comfortably with his girlfriend safe in his arms.

By the next morning both Sam and Mercedes were extremely ecstatic. They couldn't stop staring at each other during breakfast with Kurt and Blaine. The two boyfriends were also happy to know that they were able to work things out. Even the non stop phone calls couldn't interrupt their bliss. Sam quickly turned his phone off, and after breakfast they had decided to spend the rest of the day gambling, shopping for souvenirs to take home for their love ones, and exploring more of what Vegas had to offer. As the day began to come to an end Mercedes was a little bit sad about their time in Vegas ending. They ended up going back to April and Holly's Vegas show and Mercedes and Kurt shared a tearful goodbye, after exchanging numbers and email. Sam assured her that he would bring her back to visit again so she could see Kurt and Blaine. On the plane ride home he told her that they would always have Vegas to remind them of when they reunited as a couple once again.

* * *

Back in Lima they spent most of the day with Candace and Noah, and they even told them the good news. Candace cried and tried to blame it on her pregnancy hormones, while Puck said it was about time and now he felt obligated to kick Sam's ass if he ever let any harm come to his baby sister.

"So did you have fun?" Sam asked Mercedes as they were finally on their way driving home.

"The best time." Mercedes smiled. "Although I think that now that we are actually a couple maybe it would be a good idea if I moved out."

"What?" Sam said sadly. "Why would you do that?"

"Because, what couples do you know start dating and are already living together. It's not normal Sam."

"Has anything about our relationship or friendship been normal?"

"No, it hasn't."

"I think that we could make it work out. But if you really feel strongly about moving out, I won't fight you about it. I want us to do this right. I want everything to go our way, I want everything to be perfect."

"You know what, I won't move out unless things become too weird for us. I don't see why things can't be perfect."

"I am not going to let anything come between us." Sam said confidently. "I promise everything is going to be alright."

"I believe everything is going to be alright also." Mercedes lacing her fingers with Sam's.

All too soon Sam had turned into the familiar drive of his grandparents home. As much as he enjoyed Vegas he was happy to be home. Before everything had happened he dreamed of that trip. They were of course together and madly in love. He was going to wait and use that opportunity to dare her to do something bold like marry him in one of those quickie wedding ceremonies. Then the two of them would return home as Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Evans and share the exciting news with their parents. Thinking about how it was supposed to be, only gave him another reason to hate his father even more.

When the house was in sight, Sam's stomach began to turn as an all too familiar red Volkswagen was parked in the driveway. He knew then that all of the good and happiness from the past weekend was about to completely turn to shit. Sam parked the car and turned towards Mercedes who was staring at the person sitting in the swing on the porch. She couldn't quite put her finger on where she had seen this person before but they looked so familiar. Without giving him a chance to speak she got out of the Jeep and made her way towards the steps. Sam quickly followed her and he wished in that moment that he could have disappeared.

Rose do you think I should end it here and save the rest for the next chapter or keep it like it is?

"Where have you been and how come you haven't answered any of my..." The visitor began but stopped when they spotted Mercedes. "It can't be, wait a minute are you...Mercedes... Jones?" She said in shock.

"Yes, I am." Mercedes answered, staring at the girl in front of her.

"Well this explains a lot." The female said staring a hole in Sam. "No wonder you have been acting all weird."

"What do you want Quinn." Sam said pissed at the blonde, but his eyes were on Mercedes, who had just realized why the woman had looked so familiar.

"Now Sam, is that any way to speak to the woman you love?" Quinn asked and Mercedes felt as if her head was going to explode. She didn't know what the hell was going on but she was damn sure going to find out.

* * *

**AN: I know, I know suck for leaving it like that. But the chapter was getting really really long. I told you that there was going to be some happiness to come and some drama. I told you that there were going to be some secrets, and lies. Where do you think Quinn has been this entire time? What role do you think she plays in Sam's life and what do you think she wants? What did you think of their time in Vegas? Did you guys like them hitting it off with Blaine and Kurt? Are you guys happy that they finally told each other how they feel? Let me know what you guys think about this chapter and what you guys think is to come in a review. I love to hear what you guys think. Till next time-tdminor86.**


	11. What Ifs

**AN: Hello again! So I decided since it wasn't that many chapters left in the story that I will go ahead and finish it out and then focus on my other stories. First I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review the last chapter. Thank you to all the new favorites and followers. I loved the response from the last chapter it was amazing. Glad that everyone love the fact that Sam and Mercedes finally got together. I want to say thank you to my lovely beta Rose for everything that she does. She makes sure that you guys understand what I write. So here is chapter 11. I hope you enjoy it and please take the time to review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show Glee or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter 11:**What Ifs.**

* * *

Sometimes Sam felt as if the world was against him. When he was little and growing up he was born the awkward, skinny, child with the weird nose, and the weird hair, and weird ears. He was the kid who hadn't quite grown into his looks yet. As he was growing up, he slowly started losing people he loved. All of his favorite people seem to be dropping like flies, it seemed like death was his best friend and his worst enemy all the same time. When he was 13 he lost the most important person in the whole world to him, just when it seemed liked they were becoming more.

That same day he lost his father, but he didn't find out about that till two years later. Everything in his life seems to crash down. He often thought that maybe he was a bad person because of everything that happened to him, because of something he may have done in his former life. He never understood why he was being punished. Did God have it out for him?

It seemed like everything was going to finally go Sam's way. He had his best friend back, and she was now his girlfriend. They both had a wonderful time in Vegas and were finally opening up to each other about how they felt. Everything was going great in his life, but just like always something had to happen or someone came along to fuck it up.

The latest disaster was standing directly in front of him. If looks could kill he would be dead right now. He had death glares coming at him from two different directions. Both of their looks alone were starting to make him feel uncomfortable, angry, and nervous. The angry was 100 percent directed towards the blonde haired, green eyed, she devil to his left. The nervousness he felt was for how the woman to his right was going to react to the situation that he found himself in.

"She's the woman...you love?" Mercedes asked hurt and confused.

"Yes!" Quinn said. "Have been for almost 4 years now."

"Four years!" Mercedes exclaimed.

"Quinn what are you doing here?" Sam said angrily.

"What do you think I'm doing here, Sam? You don't answer any of my phone calls, I haven't spoken to you for like months and I was worried about you."

"That's a lie, you weren't really worried about me. Just cut to the chase and tell me what do you really want?"

"We need to talk."

"Fine. But I need to speak to Mercedes first."

Sam led Mercedes to the swing on the porch, she didn't want him to touch her. As soon as she made it up the steps she turned on him with her arms folded up against her chest. She was pissed, and he could tell. He didn't know what he was going to do or how he was going to explain this to her but he had to tell her the truth.

"Quinn's your girlfriend? When were you going to tell me this Sam?"

"She's not my girlfriend, at least not anymore. Yes, we dated, that was it, I broke up with her and she's been bothering me about it ever since."

"How long ago did you guys break up?" Mercedes asked.

"March." Sam said after a moment's hesitation. He could see the look of disappointment on Mercedes face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I really didn't think that it was important."

"So where does this leave us?" Mercedes asked him and she sounded hurt.

"Let me just talk to her please. Just please don't leave. I will tell her everything, the truth about me and you. We just got together and I don't want to lose you." Sam begged taking her hands in his. Please just let me talk to her for one second and then she'll be on her way and we can move on from this."

"I'll wait. But when she leaves, I want to know the truth about everything. I want to know how long you guys really were together, why you lied to me, and why did you guys break up. We just promised no more lies and here you are caught in another one." She told him. "Go talk to her but, you and I, we are not finished here."

He leaned in for a quick kiss to her lips only to have her step back away from him. He knew he was asking for too much when he did it, but it didn't hurt to try. Sam turned around reluctantly and motioned for Quinn to join him in the house, when she did he wouldn't go pass the living room.

Outside, Mercedes chose not to sit on the swing but underneath the window so she could hear the conversation going on inside of the house. She trusted Sam and she believed that everything he said was true. So she decided she was just going to wait until he talked to Quinn and then she would let him know that everything was in the past and they would be okay. Quinn was his past, and she and Sam had just started a new relationship and even though she was trying to come between them, Mercedes wasn't backing down.

Back inside the house Sam stared at Quinn as she made herself comfortable. He didn't know why in the hell she was here. This was just like her, to come around like everything that went down between them didn't happen.

"Well Quinn we're here, now talk. What do you want?" Sam asked once she got settled.

"I miss you. I was concerned about you. Mike and Artie both said that it had been a while be since they heard from you. I see why now, you never do what's rational when it comes to her. I don't know what kind of power she has over you but, it's unhealthy."

"You don't know what you are talking about. I care about her; she has been the closest person to me since I was young enough to remember. Why are you here?"

"Well she sure looked just as shocked to see me as I did her. How long have you been lying to her?"

"I didn't lie to her. You and I broke up just like I said we did and we both know it's true. But that doesn't answer my question, why are you here? What do you want?"

"I want us to get back to together, Sam. We belong together, you know it and I know it." Quinn said walking over towards Sam.

"We're not getting back together Quinn. We were awful as a couple, yes I thought that maybe someday you and I could finally get it right, but that never happened."

"That's because we didn't work hard enough to make it work Sam. We have been together since the end of our junior year in high school. That has to count for something, you just can't up and say that it's over and expect me not to fight for you. Can't you see what she is doing to you Sam? It is happening all over again, you are letting her consume your life! I know it is because of her, what if she had never come back? What then Sam, none of this would be happening."

Mercedes felt unsure about the conversation that was going on. Quinn sounded so sure that she and Sam were in love even though Sam said it wasn't true. Was Quinn right, was she consuming Sam's life? She loved him but she didn't want him to lose track of what is important to him because of her. All of her insecurities from the past when it came to Quinn Fabray were starting to come back to her. She was what every guy wanted in a girlfriend or as a girlfriend, and Mercedes was what every guy wanted in a best friend.

"How could I not expect for you not to fight for me? Easily Quinn, you don't love me. I didn't love you. She has nothing to do with my decision. I thought I did, but I realize that I was just trying to mask what I really and truly felt." Sam said honestly.

"What's that supposed to mean? 'Mask what you really felt'."

Sam knew the real reason why he jumped into a relationship with Quinn in the first place. He had to get her out of his mind. Mercedes was everything and all that he thought about all the time and it was consuming his life. His mother, Will, his friends, and other family members were starting to get concerned about him. So, when Quinn approached him about possibly dating he took it as an opportunity to solve two of his problems and ran with it. At first it was kind of hard to get used to being in a relationship with someone who wasn't Mercedes but as time went by he slowly start to warm up to being with Quinn.

"Well answer me dammit!" Quinn ordered.

"I was going through a lot of things when we first got together, you knew that. I may have started dating you for all the wrong reasons." Sam explained.

"Wait, when did she get back, Sam?" Quinn asked.

"She had been back for a while." Sam knew why she was asking him this question, and he knew once he told her the answer all hell would break loose. "But I didn't see her for the first time, until March."

Before he knew it Quinn had reached up and slapped Sam. She was hurt and he knew it.

"So since she came back you broke up me? That night when you came crying to me about how things are going bad and we need to break up and I held you as you cried, you were crying for her weren't you?"

"Yeah." Sam said holding his cheek.

"So this entire time during our relationship you're using me? How could you do this to me Sam? We were engaged."

Mercedes didn't know why but hearing Quinn admitting that they were engaged changed things. If he wasn't in love with her like he said he wasn't, then why would he ask her to marry him? This was not right, she hated feeling like she was coming in between something that Sam had going on in his life before she had returned. The last thing she wanted was for him to put his whole life on hold for her. She had to get out of there, she was starting to regret everything that had happened the moment Sam came back into her life.

Before she knew it she was on her feet and running down the driveway. She didn't belong here, at least not anymore.

"Our engagement was a hoax. You came to me and you said 'Sam we should get married.' I never gave you an answer. You bought yourself this ring and started wearing it. You told all of our friends that we were getting married, that was part of the reason I ended things with you." Sam told Quinn getting annoyed. "You did that because it was what you wanted your father to believe. You didn't want him to know the truth."

"What truth, that I had found who I thought to believe was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with."

"The truth about what you really feel. I have known for a while now." Sam could see Quinn start to get uncomfortable. "I was never angry at you for this Quinn, because I knew what it felt like to love someone and not be able to really be with them."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Sam."

"You don't love me Quinn; in fact you don't love any man. I know all about your relationship with Rachel. I know about the late-night trips and visits. I've had my suspicions about it since we were in high school but you always hid it very well. You love her, not me, Quinn."

"No, that's a lie! I love you!" Quinn shouted and she was started to cry.

"No you don't. You need to stop lying to yourself because, I did it for a very long time. I lied to myself so much that I believed what we had was love even though I knew it wasn't. What I don't get is why all the sneaking around why not just be with her?"

Quinn sat back down in chair defeated. The tears rolling down her face even heavier, she had known about her sexuality for a long time now, but she tried to keep herself from giving in to it. He was right, she did love Rachel, and the two of them constantly fought, because Rachel was out and proud while Quinn kept her a dirty secret. She wanted nothing more than to be with her, but it just couldn't happen without some terrible backlash.

Sam felt guilty. He and Quinn were friends, if not anything else and he hated to see her cry so he did what came naturally and he comforted her.

"My father doesn't know about me and Rachel. If he ever found out he would disowned me." Quinn finally spoke after a moment spent calming herself. He's a high-powered authority figure Sam. I stuck with you because he viewed you as someone that the public will see fit for me to marry. He liked the idea of us because your family comes from old money. He is pro-life, anti-gay, he believes all that foolish nonsense. He is all things a well breed republican should be. He would never, ever, claim or accept a lesbian daughter."

"So you think by marrying me and living in a loveless marriage, just to please your father would be the right answer?" Sam asked her. "I will be honest Quinn, I never liked your father, he was always an asshole to me, and if he can't accept the person you love because she is a woman, than to hell with him."

"He's been pressuring me so hard about getting married. With the upcoming election he said it'll be great exposure. I came here only because I was so desperate." Quinn admitted. "But when you put it like that, it all seems so utterly ridiculous now. I am so sorry, Sam. I never meant to come between you and Mercedes."

"I accept your apology. Quinn, you and I have been through a lot, more than anybody I've ever been through with anyone with the exception of Mercedes. You were there when I was having such a really rough time dealing with everything that was going on and I appreciate you for that. Don't be scared to admit how you fell because life is short. If you love Rachel and she loves you, then the two of you should be together. Don't let your father dictate what you do in life. As long as the two of you have each other, that's all that really matters."

"I really wish it were that simple. I really hate doing this to Rachel, she really is a great girl and she deserves so much better than how I treated her lately. She goes to therapy and everything about us, I can't keep putting her through this."

"Make it that simple, you don't live with your father anymore so you don't have to worry about him, just be with her. I finally got the girl that I've always wanted and now that I have her I am never going to let her go. You should do the same."

"I am really happy that she is ok. I know for a while you thought she was dead. She looks really good, a little different than I remember but you can still tell it's her."

"I can't even begin to describe how relieved I was to see her that day in the library. It was as if my soul had returned to me." Sam said and Quinn could see how he felt about her by the way his face had lit up.

"You really do love her don't you?"

"More than anything."

"Well I better go." Quinn said as she and Sam both headed to the door. She was going to apologize to Mercedes for everything she had ever done to her but when she looked around for her she saw her nowhere. "Thanks for everything, Sam."

* * *

He searched everywhere. Quinn had left and told Sam to tell Mercedes she was sorry as he set off walking along the trail looking for her. He assumed that maybe she had went for a walk to clear her head. After completely walking the trail and not seeing her Sam began to panic. Where the hell had she gone to? He ran down to the lake, no Mercedes. He was calling her name now but didn't get an answer. This is the last thing that he wanted to have to worry about today. He couldn't do this again, it looked like his worst nightmare is starting to come true. When he searched the grounds again and didn't find her, he knew she had left. She had promised to stay, but she didn't. Sam ran back to the house and grabbed his jeep keys, if she left she couldn't have gone far especially on foot.

Mercedes was halfway down the dirt road when it started to rain. She had been wiping her eyes nonstop to try to keep from crying. About five minutes ago she saw Quinn driving down the road so she quickly ducked into the tall grass on her side of the road; she didn't want Quinn to see her. How could everything go from being perfect to completely shot to hell in a course of one day? She couldn't go home, so she knew she had to head towards Candace and Noah's. She couldn't stay there too long because they only had a two bedroom and they were already setting it up for the nursery. She was starting to feel as if she was fucked. She picked up her pace as the rain started to fall harder, once she made it into town she would stop at the first place of business and call Candace to come and get her. She was so deep in thought that when she heard a car approaching from behind her she just instinctively made her way farther into the grass away from the road.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Mercedes walking towards town, not too far from the house. He pulled the jeep over and made his way towards her.

"Mercedes what the hell is wrong with you?" Sam called out to her. "I thought you said you were going to wait for me."

Mercedes didn't stop when Sam shouted after her. Instead she began to run, only for Sam to chase her down. He frightened her when he popped up in front of her.

"Hey! What is going on?"

"You we were engaged to her, Sam." Mercedes said getting right to the point.

"So you were snooping? Instead of just asking me about what was going on you decide to run off." Sam said shaking his head.

"Yes!" Mercedes said frustrated. "You had a life Sam, a whole other life. And now that I'm back you have changed that life for me. You made it so that everything that happens in your life revolves around what's going on with me. That's not right."

"So, I can change a few things, change is good. You were back and said you needed me so I am here."

"Well, I never meant for you to change everything. You were in love with her, you guys were going to be married and now you're not because of me." Mercedes turned around started back walking down the road she couldn't do this with him, at least not now. The rain was coming down really heavy and she just wanted to get away from Sam and away from everything that reminded her of him.

"Where are you going?" He asked after her.

"Leave me alone, Sam. Go back to your fiancé." Mercedes said not turning around.

"Goddammit, stop!" He yelled after her but she didn't. "You're a coward, Mercedes."

Mercedes stopped dead in her tracks.

"What?!"

"I said you're a coward. This isn't about me and Quinn, this is about you finding some kind of excuse to run away from me. If you didn't want to be with me then you should have just told me. Just admit it, you're afraid to be loved by someone or love someone, especially me."

Sam knew that would get her attention. She turned around and stalked towards him. She looked like she was going to say something to him but before she had a chance to, Sam threw her up over his shoulders and headed to his house.

"Put me the fuck down now!" She was trying to claw at his back for him to drop her but Sam held onto her tighter. "I mean it Sam put me down now!"

"Nope. We are going to talk about this and not out here where it is raining and we can get sick. I'm taking you back to the house."

Sam passed the jeep and she asked him where he was going. Sam knew if he tried to put her into the jeep by the time he made it around to the other side she would get back out and run again. He could leave it there and come back and get it later, it was a private road and no one else lived down here.

"Sam this is ridiculous. You are going to hurt yourself."

"No, what's ridiculous is me having to do this in the first place. I'm not going to let you get away Mercedes, not this time." Sam told her, still heading towards the driveway.

Mercedes huffed defeated and made her body limped as Sam carried her all the way back to the house. She knew there was no use of arguing with him when he got like this; he was just as stubborn as she was. Once they made it back inside the house Sam locked them in to his room. He sat down in the chair and placed a fuming Mercedes in his lap facing him, he held his arms around her waist tight so she couldn't move.

"Just sit here, shut up, and listen." Sam said before Mercedes could open her mouth to protest.

Sam went into detail telling Mercedes about everything involving his relationship with Quinn. He told her about how she was just someone he thought could help take his mind off of the reality of losing her. He told her how Quinn proposed to him and bought herself a ring, and he said Quinn was in love with someone else but he couldn't go into details because it's complicated. He explained to her that she only came back because she was scared of how her father was going to react when he found out the truth about what was really going on.

When he finished, he loosened his grip on her and watched as she took in everything that he told her. She still looked, skeptical but he could tell that she believed him.

"Mercedes, I need you to say something." Sam said after a few minutes of silence.

"I just don't want you to have any regrets." She spoke quietly.

"What regrets would I have?" He questioned confused.

"I can't help but think that one day you're going to regret all of it, me, us, and our relationship. You had a life before I came back and I don't want you to wake up one day and say what if. What if I would've never went to the library and saw her, what if she would've never came back?" Mercedes expressed to him. "What if I was still with Quinn and we did eventually fall in love with each other? What kind of life could I've had with her? If not Quinn, then some other girl that you could've met and been happy with."

"That's never going to happen."

"How do you know that?" Mercedes asked him.

"Because in all 21 years of my living, I have never, ever, loved anybody but you." Sam confessed. "Even when I thought you were dead I still loved you more than I love anyone. Even when I thought I would never see you again, I still loved you. You were always on my mind and in my heart, and that's never going to change."

Mercedes was moved by his words and she could feel herself start to cry. She'd loved Sam her whole life and she waited so long for him to say he loved her as much as she did him, and now here he was doing exactly that.

Sam brushed some wet hair that was slicked to the side of her face, behind her ear. He rubbed his thumb under her eyes wiping away the fresh tears that started to fall as he stared into her eyes.

"I love you too, Sam." He heard her say barely above a whisper and he leaned in and kissed her softly.

Mercedes kissed him back leaning into him deepening the kiss. She reached up and tangled her hands into his hair as he swept his tongue across her bottom lip seeking permission. Mercedes opened up to him and their tongues began to slowly swirl around each other. Sam ran his hands up her back underneath her shirt and when he sucked her tongue softly he could hear her lightly moan.

Mercedes broke the kiss apart because she could feel her lungs scream for air. Mercedes couldn't help but grind her hips into him when he latched his lips to her neck. Her gripped in his hair became tighter as she ground into him faster. This time Sam was the one to let a moan escaped his mouth, and he softly bit down on the skin he had just finished sucking and licking a trail along.

"Oh God!" Mercedes said as she started to feel things her body never felt before. She felt like her soul was on fire and she had a thousand tiny tingling sensations from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

Sam connected their lips again as he took over the movement of her hips. He guided her hips directly into his erection. She felt and tasted amazing to him and he could feel her began to shake atop of him. She was making the sexiest pants and moans and it was making it hard for him not to lose it.

Mercedes didn't know what was going to happen, she could feel the stiff hardness of Sam underneath her rubbing against her private area in the most sinfully, delicious way, and it excited her. He had her on cloud nine and she was moaning incoherently. But the more excited she became the more these images and visions would pop up in her head. They were memories that she didn't quite want to remember at this particular moment. She heard Sam moan 'Mercedes' in pleasure audibly, but at the same time in her head she could hear another voice call her 'Shell'. It was confusing and too much to handle, her body wanted Sam and what he was doing to her to continue and go on forever, but her mind wanted, no needed this to stop.

"Sam." She said trying to get his attention but he was too lost in the moment. He must have thought she wanted more so he pulled her into him faster and he went to kiss her again.

She tried to fight it, fight what was happening to her in her mind and make what Sam was doing to her take control over her mind, but it was too strong.

"Sam! Sam! Sam stop, stop, please stop it!" She said trying to push herself off of him.

Sam could hear the fear in her voice and he immediately released her causing her to fall backwards onto the floor. He quickly leaped out of the chair and was next to her apologizing over and over again.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so, so, so sorry Mercedes." He kept saying repeatedly. "Please, please forgive me. Are you okay?"

Mercedes wrapped her arms around his neck as she tried to calm down and catch her breath. Sam rubbed soothing circles into her back to try to help her calm down.

"I couldn't do it, Sam, I am sorry." Mercedes said after she calmed down. "I just couldn't do it."

"I'm the one who's sorry. It is not your fault, I should've known better. I let my hormones and emotions get the best of me and I promise it won't happen again." Sam said as he beat himself up on the inside being so stupid.

"I can't help but feel guilty. I thought I could fight through it, I guess not."

Sam held her tighter as they sat there on the floor. She was thinking of ways to fight her past demons, while Sam was trying to think of ways not to let what happened tonight happen again. He loved her more than anything and he would be damned if he ever did something to hurt her.

* * *

**AN: Well that was Chapter 11. What did you think? I know some of you guys are probably thinking that there was going to be some Samcex at the end but Mercedes isn't quite ready for that yet. It maybe because I'm not quite ready to write that yet, and I'm just blaming it on Mercedes not being ready, or she may generally not be ready yet. What did you guys think of the part with Quinn and Sam, and her being in love with Rachel? Someone sent me a private message a while back at the beginning of this story, telling me that they think the reason why Rachel was attending therapy was because she was in love with Quinn. I can't remember who that was so kudos on getting it right. I had planned to make Quinn a little bit more of a conniving bitch in the story when I first started writing it, but she did such a good job of it in my other story Killing Me Softly, I decided to make her a little bit nicer. Also, someone had asked me if Mercedes was ever going to have doubts about Sam having regrets, so this is what the chapter was about. Only two more chapters left to the epilogue, then this story will be done and finished. I would love to know what you guys think is going to happen since we are almost to the end, and who you think the nice one is. Let me know in a review I love to hear what you guys think and it helps me to write more. Till next time-tdminor86.**

**Next chapter: Sam and Mercedes go to visit his mom and Will. Mercedes also sits down and finally has a talk with her parents. Also, Mercedes makes a startling discovery.**


	12. The Haunting Photograph

**AN: I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review the last chapter. Thank you to all the new favorites and followers. I loved the response from the last chapter it was great. This chapter is dedicated to Rose because she has been waiting for this since forever. Here's chapter 12 buckle up cause this is a bumpy ride and PLEASE REVIEW. WARNING: There is a tiny bit of assault in this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show Glee or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter 12: **The Haunting Photograph**

* * *

It had been a little bit less than three months since Sam and Mercedes started dating for the second time. Things were actually going really great for the both of them. They did go to see Emma several times to talk about the problem that they were having when it came to being intimate. Mercedes tried to persuade him to try it again numerous times, but he wasn't buying it. He didn't want her to feel like she was obligated to do it because he had been somewhat sexually active. Whenever they would get close, one of them would always back out at the last minute. Other than that, everything had been going really great for the two of them.

Sam wanted her to have one of the most memorable summers ever. So they spent the entire summer doing everything that they used to do when they were little. He had to reteach her some of the basics on how to swim. They had plenty of picnics under the moonlight on the lake front. They would go on double dates with Candace and Noah, he took her to Kentucky to see his ex-roommates Artie and Mike who both loved and adored her from first glance. He had to keep a watchful eye on the two of them because both kept talking about how cool she was, and commenting on how beautiful she was. Artie expressed his affections for her, when he told Sam that the moment that he slipped up he would be waiting in the wings to scoop such a 'fine ass honey like her'. They went on another road trip, this time to Chicago to go to the Michael Jackson Immortal concert. Mercedes had the time of her life there. MJ had always been her favorite performer growing up as a kid and she couldn't help the giddiness she felt when Sam managed to score them tickets.

When she asked him to teach her how to drive neither of them knew that it would be something that both of them thought was one of the most stressful and complicated things that they both ever had to go through. Sam frustrated the hell out of Mercedes, when he was giving her lessons. Sam would often get mad because Mercedes was stubborn and not listening to him when he told her how to do something properly. In the end Mercedes fired Sam as her driving Coach, and asked Noah if he would do it which he gladly agreed. He was so much calmer than Sam, and his techniques proved to be very helpful because within a week he had her driving like it was the most natural thing she had ever done. She was proud of earning her license, even if she hated the picture.

They had big plans for the Fourth of July to go and spend time with Sam's mom and her husband Will, but had to postpone it when Candace had a pregnancy scare and almost went into early labor. She had exactly seven weeks to go and the doctor ordered bed rest. She tried to be stubborn about it, but Noah was not having it and he told Candace if she stepped foot out of that bed, he would strap her to it until her due date.

Now it was one week until school started and Sam and Mercedes were finally heading out to see his mom and stepfather. Mercedes was nervous about seeing Mrs. Evans well Schuester now, again. From what she could remember she was a pleasant woman. She thought her mother and Sam's got along very well but Sam had informed her that since it was discovered that it was Dwight who had taken Mercedes, the two of them had barely spoken. She didn't know much about Will, other than he was her Glee director and home room teacher for all of about five weeks.

"You nervous?" Sam had asked her as they made their way towards Nashville.

"Somewhat." She responded with a small smile.

"Well you shouldn't be. My mother adores you and she can't wait to see you." Sam told Mercedes as he reached over and intertwined their hands.

"What if I can't remember something she starts to talk about?"

"Then just tell her. My mother will mostly go on and on about how beautiful you still are. She will brag about how she told everyone about how she knew the two of us were soul mates since we were little."

Mercedes laughed at Sam's impression of his mother and it made her think about her own mother and the heated, tension filled encounter she had with them a couple of weeks after the had gotten back from Vegas. She and Sam had ran into her parents one night when the two of them were out on a date, Mercedes and her mother had barely spoken a word to each other. But she was more acceptive to her father even giving him a hug, which absolutely burned her mother up on the inside. Sam could tell because of the dramatic eye roll she did when the two embraced. Mr. Jones begged the two of them to come over for a nice dinner and after much persuading on Sam's part Mercedes had finally agreed.

_OOOOOOOOOO_

_Mercedes wanted nothing more than for this dinner to be over already. Sitting here in the same room, in the same type of setting where she found out about all of the secrets and lies that her parents had told to her was making her nauseous. The only thing that was keeping her from completely losing it was the extra tight grip she had on Sam's hand under the table. At first the conversation at the table was just a few exchanges between Mr. Jones, Noah, and Sam. The three women all remained stone silent. Candace only went in support of Mercedes, she had reconciled with her father a couple of weeks after the whole blow up but she and her mother were still not on speaking terms. _

_"So, Sam, school starts soon. Are you ready for that?" Mr. Jones asked him trying to cut some of the tension in the room._

_"Yes I am. I went to get my schedule and received some good news." Sam said receiving a scoff from Mrs. Jones. "If I complete this semester I will have enough credits to graduate in December."_

_"That's good to hear. Congrats, I will be looking forward to your invitation. That's if I am invited."_

_"Of course you are."_

_Delia made a loud sigh and dropped her silverware down on her plate, causing a loud clanging noise to fill the room._

_"Are we just going to sit here and make small talk all afternoon?" She said annoyed. _

_"Here we go." Candace muttered under her breath._

_"Delia..." Mr. Jones said in a warning tone._

_"No! Mercedes I don't understand you. How could you just brush me off as if I am the baddest person in the world?"_

_"Easily..." Candace began but Mercedes spoke up interrupting her._

_"How could you just lie to my face like I didn't have a right to know what was going on in my own life? All you had to do was be honest with me mom, but you act like you couldn't do that." _

_"You are taking your frustration about what his sicko father did to you out on me and your father and that is not fair!"_

_"No, I'm not. My anger towards you has nothing to do with what happened to me. It is all about how you lied to my face about it." Mercedes spat. "When I came home the only thing I asked from you or dad is to be honest with me. No lies. That's what I said and you promised me that you would comply but you didn't."_

_"I know. I thought I was protecting you! I didn't think you would be able to handle it. I just wanted you to forget about how I wasn't able to save you from him." Delia said crying now. "When you were taken, I felt like dying. I couldn't stand knowing that I wasn't there to rescue you from all of this. I felt like I failed as a parent. You have no idea how hard it was for me to wake up everyday knowing that when I went to your room you weren't going to be there." _

_"I do. I knew what it was like to feel as if I wasn't going to see any of my love ones. Clinging to some type of hope that maybe, just maybe today would be that day when I could hear your voice or see your face." Mercedes said and she was crying as well. _

_"I am so sorry Mercedes. I never meant to hurt you." _

_"I know what you did and what Dwight did was two totally different things but knowing that you lied to me, made me think of it. Once again someone that I trusted, had deceived me."_

_"I didn't think of it that way, I don't ever want you to feel that way again. I am truly sorry for deceiving you."_

_"That means a lot coming from you mom. I accept it." _

_The rest of the afternoon went quite well, and even though Candace, Mercedes, and Delia hadn't completely worked out everything yet, you could tell that things would eventually be back to normal._

_OOOOOOOOOO_

Sam pulled up to his mother's home and lightly shook a sleeping Mercedes to let her know they had made it. Before she could even open her eyes good, Sam saw his mother burst out the front door and head towards his jeep. She practically ran over to Mercedes side, startling the half sleep girl.

"Oh my goodness Mercedes, you still are just as beautiful as I remembered." She cheered pulling her out of the jeep and into a warm, tight, hug.

"Thank you." Mercedes said hugging her back. She could see the familiarity in her features. She just looked a slight bit older than she could remember. "Thanks for having me Mrs. Schuester."

"Oh call me Mary, or mama M. That's what you used to call me anyway." Mary informed her.

"Well it's nice to see you too mom." Sam said sarcastically as he watched his mother fawn over Mercedes like he wasn't there.

"Oh hush boy, I just saw you a couple of months back. It has been a while since I have seen, Missy Dee."

Sam cast a wary look to his mother. He still hasn't told Mercedes about his trip with his mother yet. She rolled her eyes at his worrying, not knowing that Mercedes had witnessed the entire exchange. Sam hadn't told her that he went to see his mother a couple months back. She wondered why he hadn't told her and why he didn't ask if she wanted to come along. Her head began to fill with questions, but she decided not to address them at the moment and try to have some fun for the next four days. Inside the house she got reacquainted with Will who was sprinkling some cheese on top of a huge lasagna. Sam always told her that he made the best Italian food he had ever had, which he thinks was the main reason why his mother had married him.

The two of them had a semi awkward exchange because when she went to hug him he had offered up his hand instead. In the end they both gave each other a pat on the back and Will smiled at her slightly. Sam's mother took her on a tour of the house while she told the men to unload the jeep.

Mercedes loved the same country style home that kind of reminded her of the house she and Sam was currently living in. It wasn't as big, it only had three bedrooms but the rooms were very spacious, each with its on theme.

The first room which she said would be Sam's was decorated in a dark tan color and white. The bed was huge and the bed post were as big as her legs that went halfway to the ceiling. It was simply decorated with a small desk and chair. A huge dresser with a flat screen on top. In the corner was a shelf that held dozens of knick knacks. In the middle of the hall was the guest bathroom. It was a bluish green and white. It only had a sink, toilet, and shower. The floor tile was the same bluish green color as the wall. There was a glass sliding door for the shower instead of the usual curtain she was use to at her home with Sam.

Once the tour was over she lead her back to the dining room where Sam and Will were waiting and had everything laid out on the table to eat. There was salad, fresh baked garlic bread, the piping hot lasagna, and a pitcher of iced tea, which she noticed had slices of peaches in it. They all sat down at the table and after Will said grace, the four of them began to dig in.

Dinner was nice, and the four of them engaged in a light conversation at first. Will seemed like he was uncomfortable to talk to Mercedes but as the dinner went along he warmed up to her and they started to talk more. Mary used the time to reminisce about how smitten Sam was over Mercedes and how he would always run off to her house, until she had to practically drag him back home. After dinner they moved into the living room to watch TV but it ended up watching them as Mercedes and Sam told them all about their trip to Vegas and Chicago.

About a couple of hours later Mary and Will both called it a night leaving Sam and Mercedes alone. Mercedes didn't want to admit it but she didn't want to go back into her room alone. She had a thing about sleeping alone in strange places and even though she got a homely vibe from this house she still didn't feel 100% safe.

"So...I know we had a long drive and I think I am going to call it a night." Sam said standing up and stretching. "Why don't you go and use the shower first and I will go afterwards."

"Ok." Mercedes said a little bit defeated.

After showering she went and crawl inside of the bed. It was soft and plush but she couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable. After shifting around in the bed for about thirty minutes she heard a quiet knock on her door. When she went to the door she saw Sam standing on the other side.

"I thought you went to sleep, what are you doing?" Mercedes asked happy to see him standing there.

"Did you honestly think I was going to be able to sleep without you?" Sam asked. "Besides, I know how you hate to sleep alone in new places."

She didn't say anything else as she made her way back to her bed with Sam following her. She smiled brightly on the inside knowing that he was there to sleep with her. Once they were settled she laid her head on his chest as she let the steady beat of his heart lull her to sleep.

The next day Mary had plans to show Mercedes around Nashville. They spent the entire day sightseeing and doing some shopping. Mary ended up spending a lot of money on Mercedes, even for some things Mercedes didn't want. As much as she tried to pay her back Mary was persistent in telling her that her money was no good. She told Mercedes that is was because she was a guest, but everyone except Mercedes knew that it was Mary's way of relieving some of her guilt for what Dwight had done to her. Will, was on camera duty and he must have taken over sixty photos. After eight hours of shopping, eating, and visiting some of Nashville's tourist attractions Mercedes became a bit overwhelmed. Sam could sense this so he suggested that they called it a day.

When they made it back, Mary asked Mercedes if she would be interested in helping her with her photo albums tomorrow after they go and get the film developed. Mercedes agreed and breathed a huge sigh of relief when Mary finally went upstairs for the night.

"I love your mother, but she is like the energizer bunny." Mercedes said making her way to her room just in case Mary decided to reappear for more 'girl talk'.

"Yeah, sometimes she can be a bit much. I hope she didn't make you feel weirded out." Sam said locking the bedroom door behind them. "So you must be tired."

"Not really, I am more overwhelmed than anything. What I need is a nice long bubble bath and then I will feel much better." She said gathering her products for a bath.

Mercedes soaked in the bathtub until her fingers started to wrinkle. When she was done, she dressed herself in a spaghetti strapped tank and some shorts and made her way to the bedroom to see Sam already on his side of the bed. She crawled in next to him and instead of letting her snuggle into him, he hovered above her when she got settled in. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. It was just a small peck but it still sent sparks flying through her body. After he gave two more quick brushes to her lips, he moved along tracing the outline of her jaw and then softly licked underneath her chin.

"I'm love the way you smell after you take a bath or shower. It does something to me." He confessed.

She didn't say anything just smiled as she ran her hands up his bare back. He went back to nipping and kissing the skin on her neck and continuing on down to her bare shoulder. She tried not to get too excited because this wasn't out of the ordinary for them. Over the past couple of months he would always start off showering her with these soft, sweet, kisses but when things got too hot and heavy he would abruptly end it and call it a night. She was sure her body was completely ready to go the whole way but she and Sam both wasn't sure if her mind was up to the challenge. She had come up with a plan to get her hormones under control when Sam got like this, she would think of her favorite song in her head. However before she even got to the chorus, her thoughts were interrupted by the feel of Sam's lips on the top of her breast.

This was definitely new. He had never gone passed her collar bone, and the new exploring had excited her in a whole new way. The tank she was wearing had a build in bra so it took no time for him to lift it and rub his thumbs over her harden buds. She gasped at his touch, as he took the right one in his mouth and sucked it lightly. He repeated the action on the left and moved to hover back over her.

"Do you trust me?" He asked as he stared deep into her big brown eyes.

"Yes..." She breathed after a moment.

He kissed her once again on the lips but deepened it unlike the first time. Once they both were breathless, he broke the kiss and kissed his way down her body. She had millions of butterflies fluttering around her stomach as he planted wet kiss after wet kiss in a line from the top of her breast to the band of her shorts. When he removed her shorts for a split second she thought he was giving in and they were going to go all the way, but he quickly put that theory to rest when he explained that her clothes were the only ones coming off. Once he had her fully undressed, he kissed his way up starting from the sole of her feet, making sure to rub the rest of her body soothingly.

When he made it between her legs, he could feel her tense up.

"Just relax Rogue, I promise not to hurt you." He assured her. "As a matter of fact, if at anytime you want me to stop just tap my shoulder and I will, I swear. Ok?"

He looked up at her and she just nodded her head 'ok'. Sam took his time placing light kissing to her lower lips. He figured he needed to go at this in a delicate way, as if not to freak her out. He slowly swiped his tongue along her slit and heard her breathe out. He took that as a sign to go on, and after a few more long licks he proceeded by burying his face deep between her legs.

Mercedes grasped onto the sheets underneath her when she felt Sam's lips surround the nubbin between her legs. She had a variety of emotions that ran through her. She didn't know if she wanted to scream, or gasp, moan or cry, or even laugh. What she knew was that she was enjoying whatever was happening to her. The way she was feeling was indescribable and when Sam's tongue felt like it was doing the wave, she couldn't help the breathy 'WOW' that escaped her mouth. When Sam heard her, he chuckled without removing his mouth from around her, which sent a vibration through her that made her body go into overdrive. She didn't mean to, but her hips had lifted off the bed and she was slowly humping his face. She wanted to feel more but didn't quite know how to get it.

Sam could feel her being antsy, so he gripped her hips tight to hold her still as he concentrated on bringing her to release. He could tell she was close. She couldn't keep still, and her pants and moans were coming more frequent and getting louder.

It was all becoming too much. She had to fight the urge to slam her legs shut trapping Sam's head. She couldn't take it any longer and after a few more moments of the most pleasurable torture she had ever felt, she had succumb to her orgasm. She felt like she was having an out of body experience. She shut her eyes tight and she saw a collage of colors and stars. Her body was shaking, and her fingers and toes went numb.

Sam smiled as she flooded his mouth. Her taste was a mixture of sweet, salty, and tangy. Once he was done lapping up her juices, he kissed his way back up her body, ending it with a wet smack to her lips. He looked at her and she still had her eyes shut tight and her bottom lip was nestled in between her teeth. He thought she looked beautiful.

"That was...just...wow." She said after she had come down from her pleasure high.

"I take it you enjoyed it." Sam said as he traced a finger along her bottom lip.

"Oh yeah. It was unlike anything I ever felt before. Thank you Sam."

"No, thank you for trusting me." He said and kissed her passionately. He held her in his arms as she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

The next day was spent doing exactly what Mary said they would do. The women got all of the items needed for scrapbooking and putting together a photo album while the men went to town to get the film developed. Mary was showing Mercedes the older photos she had of Mercedes and Sam. Mercedes thought that she had a thing for keeping a record of her past but Mary had her beat by a long shot. Mary had gotten a call and she walked out of the room to take it leaving Mercedes alone to reminisce and see if she could remember any of the events of the times in the photos. She merrily went through the pages of the albums. She was still reeling from last night, and she couldn't contain the bashful smile that would creep up on her lips every time she and Sam would meet eyes. They didn't go all the way but it was a huge step in the right direction. Emma had suggested that they take baby steps like a virgin couple who had never had intercourse before. Sam had admitted to both Mercedes and Emma that Quinn was the only girl he had ever slept with, so technically he didn't have a problem with this. He also admitted that he had never done anything like he did last night to Mercedes with Quinn. One, he didn't have the desire to do it and two, she never really asked or wanted him to. The truth was Sam had seen plenty of girl on girl videos to know just what to do when it came to that, but that still didn't mean he wasn't nervous.

Mercedes was barely paying attention to some of the photos as her mind drifted off to last night once again. She wanted to return the favor to Sam but she didn't know how to go about it. Should she just come out and say it, or should she just go for the kill and take the bull by the horns and do it? She was contemplating on what to do when a certain picture caught her eye. There were three people in this particular picture. She recognized Sam, and Mary right off the bat, but the third person in the picture look strangely familiar. She stared at the third person, searching her brain for some type of recognition. She was playing herself, she just didn't want it to be true. She knew exactly who that third person was and her heart sank as her worse nightmare had come to light.

_OOOOOOOOO_

_After watching Sam score the winning touchdown Mercedes was elated. She was so happy for him and the roar of the crowd had made her even more proud. The bleachers had cleared seconds later as the final second ticked off of the scoreboard. Unlike everyone else Mercedes waited patiently for Sam to come to her because she knew that he would be swarmed by fans. She made her way slowly through the crowd, as she could see Sam in her line of vision. His eyes were glued to hers even though several people tried to get his attention to congratulate him._

_"Impressive Evans." She said as she finally made it to him. "Scoring the winning touchdown in your third game as a freshman." _

_"I told you a long time ago girl, I gots skills." He said wrapping his arms around her neck and planting a kiss to her lips. "I really want to kiss you for a little while before you have to go home."_

_"Hmm...that sounds nice. How about we go to the rooftop?" Mercedes suggested._

_"Ok, wait fifteen-twenty minutes we have a meeting and then we will be on our way."_

_"How about no. What am I supposed to do for twenty minutes while you guys pat each other on the butt and say good job?" She told him. "I am just going to go ahead and walk there now. I have my sleeping bag and stuff I will get it set up because it looks like rain."_

_"NO! You will wait for me, it is getting darker and I have to make sure you are safe." He said._

_"But Sam..." Before she could protest further he snatched her duffle bag, gave her a quick smooch, and took off towards the locker room shouting fifteen minutes._

_"Ugh!" _

_Mercedes waited all of five minutes before her stubbornness had kicked in and she left. She knew she should have waited but for some reason Sam taking her bag angered her. She had been walking for about two minutes when a older model Chevy pick up pulled up beside her. She looked up at the driver as he rolled his window down._

_"Mercedes? Girl ,what are doing out here walking by yourself?" The driver asked her when he rolled the window down._

_She let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was someone she knew and not just some creepy stranger. "I am walking to the old Franklin building. Sam and I go there to hang out. I am suppose to meet him there."_

_"Well, it looks like it might rain. You want a ride?" He asked and smiled genuinely at her._

_"I don't want to be any trouble, you are probably heading back home."_

_"Nonsense, it wouldn't be any trouble at all. Besides, we're like family, it would be rude if I just let you walk in the rain and get you sick as a dog."_

_"Ok, only because I am more worried about my hair getting wet more than anything." She said and he opened the door and help her climb into the truck. _

_The two of them rode in a comfortable silence. Within three minutes they had arrived at the old Franklin building. Mercedes had thanked him for the ride and was about to exit the truck when he told her to stay inside until Sam arrived. She opted to do it because it was starting to drizzle lightly. She hated the silence so she asked him how he was doing just to strike up a conversation. They talk back and forth for a couple of minutes. He made her laugh and blush when he said how beautiful she was. It was something about the way he stared at her after he said it that made her become uncomfortable. She grew suspicious when he kept talking about how much she had grown into a lovely young lady, and how lucky Sam was to have a girlfriend as smart and sexy as she was. One second she was trying to figure out how to remove herself from this awkward situation and the next he had leaned across the seat and smashed his lips onto hers. Instantly she pushed him away but he overpowered her and tried to deepen the kiss. She clawed at his chest as he mumbled 'don't fight it' against her lips. When that didn't work she tried punching him but he only kissed her harder thrusting his tongue in her mouth as he pushed her down the seat and was now on top of her. When she felt his tongue she wanted to vomit but she remembered something she saw on TV and she bit down as hard as she could on his tongue and it caused him to scream. He pulled away and she could see and taste the blood. She reached for the door handle to escaped but he grabbed her head and slammed it into the dashboard knocking her unconscious. _

_OOOOOOOOOO_

Mercedes gasped as the night she was taken came rushing back to her. It all seemed so real and recent as if it had happened yesterday. She could hear Mary ending her call so she quickly removed the photo from the album and shoved it deep in the back pocket of her denim shorts.

She couldn't think about anything else but the picture that was burning her left cheek in her back pocket for the rest of the day let alone the rest of the trip. She tried to ignore it and enjoy it but she couldn't, not after discovering what she had. She didn't even go through with her plan to return the favor to Sam later on that night. Everything else was irrelevant to her. She was ready for this trip to be over with and Sam had picked up on her odd behavior.

She thanked Will and Mary for having them and made promises to come visit for Thanksgiving. Like promised, Mary had made her a photo album to take with her but none of those pictures had held more value than the one she now had folded and tucked away in the pouch of her purse. She must have looked at the picture a hundred times these last three days. She dreamed about it, and she had her first nightmare their first night back home in months. Sam had been worried about her thinking that maybe what he had done back in Kentucky was the reason for her strange behavior but she played her part well and assured him that he had nothing to be worried about. She had Sam convinced that she was doing just fine but, the person who really needed convincing was herself.

The nightmares didn't stop, and she was growing tired of them. It was his own way of haunting her all over again and she was fed up. It was the same dreams that she had had before, only this time instead of him having a black face and voice of the devil she saw him clear as day and his voice was that which belong to him. The other thing that was different instead of Sam being the one to save her it was now herself. When she would open her eyes in her dream it was like she was staring at a reflection in a mirror only her reflection was happier. Instead of disappearing like Sam would, she reached out to herself and pulled herself up and then he would be the one to vanish. She knew exactly what she needed to do but she didn't know how.

* * *

A whole week and a half had passed and she had a plan. Sam had to go to Kentucky today because he needed to speak to one of his academic advisors about something so it was perfect. She called Noah three days ago and asked him if he could help her with something important for the baby. He agreed only after her mother had agreed to go babysit a bed stricken Candy. When he arrived on time at exactly eight thirty she was nervous. She had to lie to him about where they were going and why, but he was the only person that could do this for her.

"So tell me why we are going way to Cleveland for a gift for Gaby?" Noah asked as they were halfway there.

"This lady specially makes them in her home." Mercedes lied.

"And what is this exactly?"

"Baby blankets and pillows with their names and initials. I figure Gabriella would love her own special made things."

"Well that's nice of you."

"I still think you guys should think about changing her middle name though, not that Alexis isn't a pretty name but you do know that your baby's initials will be GAP don't you?"

"Yeah, I think it's cool."

"To each its own."

They both laugh and keep up a steady conversation for the rest of the three hour drive. When they finally exited off the right exit, Mercedes knew it was time to spill the beans about where they were really going. She pulled the picture out of her purse and entered the address she had written in the back into the GPS. At first Noah didn't question it he just followed the directions that were being spoken to him. When they pulled into the parking lot he glanced at her curiously.

"I knew that address sound familiar. We have had patients come here. What the hell is going on Cedes and why are we at the Ohio State Asylum for the Mentally Insane?" He asked once he parked the car. "We're not here to get gifts for the baby are we?"

"No." Was all she said as she got out of the car and made her way to the front door. Noah went after her and grabbed her arm once he caught up to her.

"Mercedes! What is this about?" He asked.

"This!" She turned around and shoved the picture in his hands. "I came to see him." She pointed at the man in the white jumpsuit.

"Who is this?" He asked her confused.

"Think about it Noah. Why would I come all this way to see someone and not want Sam to find out, and before you say it no I am not having an affair."

She watched him as he thought about it and she could see the moment he realized the truth.

"No! We are leaving right now." He told her. "I can't let you do this."

"It's not your decision, I didn't come all this way just to turn around now like some coward." She said walking towards the door again.

She had made it inside with Noah on her heels. He tried to talk her out of it and he fussed at her for lying to him and dragging him into this. She really wasn't listening she was focused on one thing and one thing only. She walked up to the desk and greeted the clerk whose name tag read Marley.

"Hello, and welcome. How may I help you?" Marley asked.

"I am here to visit a patient." Mercedes informed her.

"Ok, patient name?"

Mercedes gave her the name and waited as she entered the information into the computer. She asked to see her ID and said that she wasn't one of the approved visitors. She thought she was going to denied the visit but surprisingly Puck spoke up from behind her.

"Hi Marley. That's a pretty name." He said throwing on the charm. "The patient's father had passed away and Mercedes here, was his caregiver. She came to inform him of his death. It would be just awful if he didn't know of his own father's passing."

"Well...I am not supposed to do this but I recently lost my dad and I would hate it if no one had told me so I will make an exception this one time." She sympathized with them. "But only her."

"Thank you so much and I am sorry to hear about your dad." Mercedes said as she hugged Noah and thanked him as well. He still didn't approve of her tricking and lying to him but he figured she needed this for some type of closure.

Mercedes was buzzed through a door where a leggy Latino nurse named Santana ordered her to follow her. They made their way down a long hallway walking through a series of double doors. Along the way Mercedes saw two orderlies dragging a young Asian woman with her mouth taped down the hall.

"What did she do now?" Santana asked.

"The usual." One of them answered.

"Tina, what have I told you about going around biting people?" She told the young lady. "Ms. Chang for the thousandth time you are not a vampire. Bite someone else and I will put you in solitary confinement, comprende? Take her to Lauren for a shot and put her back in her room."

After she finished giving out orders they continued through another set of doors and she stopped at the second door on the left.

"He should be waiting in there." She gestured to the solid white door. "If anything should go wrong press the red button on the right side of the room."

Mercedes shook her head 'ok' and the nurse walked away. She peeked through the small glass window and she saw him sitting at a table with his head hanging down. Her heart felt as if it wanted to beat through her chest. She took a deep breath followed by a quick prayer and turn the knob and entered into the room.

He still didn't look up as she walked slowly to the table. He looked up finally only as she sat down in the chair across from him. She was now face to face with the man responsible for taking almost eight years of her life away and leaving her for dead. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and all the color had drained from his face. They stayed like this in silence for a extra long minute, both not believing that the other was sitting right in front of them. Mercedes was the first to speak as she kept her eyes on the man for years she called the nice one.

"Hello Stevie."

* * *

**AN: Well, well, well. Now you know who the nice one is. I already have in my mind who I picture as Stevie. I am going to post pictures for the characters without a face on Tumblr. Candace, Stevie, the Jones, and Mary and Dwight. I know we saw Sam's parents on the show but the man who played Dwight looks too goody goody for this darker version of him. I know you guys probably want to kick my behind for ending the chapter like this but I had to. What did you think of this chapter? Did I do the intimate moment between Samcedes some justice? Did you guys enjoy the reunion with her parents? What about her dragging Puck with her to visit Stevie? What do you think is going to happen between the two of them? Let me know in a review. Till next time-tdminor86.**

**Next chapter: The big showdown between Mercy and Stevie. **


	13. The Nice One

**AN: I'm back! First I want to say my prayers are with all of you dealing with Hurricane Sandy. I hope and pray that you guys stay safe. Thanks to all of those who took the time and read and reviewed the last chapter. Thanks for all of the new favorites and followers I received, I really appreciate it. This story has been hogging my mind and I need to update again. So...I love the response to finding out that Stevie was the other kidnapper. Some of you were like I knew it! While others were like OMG Stevie no! Either way I loved reading your feedback. This is a HEAVY chapter. A lot will definitely go down. I want to say thanks to my fave friend for being great ;). I have posted the pictures of the characters on Tumblr so if you need a visual you can use that. This chapter is dedicated to Tay. Hopefully it will inspire her to write some more of her lovely stories. Here is chapter 13. Don't forget to review and please enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter 13:** The Nice One.**

* * *

He had always thought she was beautiful. Ever since the day Stevie had laid eyes on Mercedes Jones he was smitten with her. Sure she was seven years younger than him but he had always thought so highly of her. At first it wasn't in a romantic way, but as she grew older his feelings had expanded to more. What really made him want her even more romantically was when she her tight connection with Sam. He wasn't jealous of his younger brother but he did envy the bond he shared with Mercedes. The way she would look at Sam like he was the only thing that even matter made him want someone to look at him like that. Sure he had a girlfriend back at home where he lived with his mother, but she had never looked at him like Sam and Mercedes looked at each other.

When he graduated he made the decision to forgo college to become a delivery driver for a friend's dad named Burt. It was a silly decision he knew it, but he used the open road and freedom to help keep his mind off of a very well maturing Mercedes. Part of his mind thought that the reason she was developing so fast was because she was made for him. Her mindset and maturity level was always more adult like than the rest of the kids her and Sam's age. All these things made Stevie want to believe that it was ok for him as an 18 year old to lust after someone as young as her. His stepmother Mary was quite the perceptive woman and she noticed the way Stevie would stare at Mercedes and she had confronted him about it. He didn't lie or deny it but asked her for some type of help to keep his thoughts under control. She suggested counseling which he did and it worked for a while but it still wasn't enough to clear his head of all thoughts Mercedes. Eventually he made an decision on his own and he told his dad that he was going away for a while to get some much needed 'me time'. He got lucky when his dad didn't question it and he took off in his truck. He would find these odd jobs delivering stolen goods to places for a cut of the money.

Things was going good for him, he met a nice girl named Amber who even traveled with him a couple of times. He was proud of himself for getting himself better on his own. She was sweet, had a good heart, and would always make him laugh. The problem was the more time he spent with her the more she reminded him of Mercedes. Anyone who knew his predicament could easily tell that the two women had many similarities. She could have been an young adult version of Mercedes, an older sister even, and he soon realized he hadn't been doing as good as he had previously assumed. It was starting to become difficult to be with Amber, especially when they were intimate with each other. At first it would be going great but then the more and more they got into it he would visualize her as Mercedes and he even called Amber Mercedes once during sex. She accused him of cheating and having some type of affair with lot lizards but surprisingly, he told her the truth and she called him a sicko and he never heard from her again. He went back on the road again but when he got a call from his mother that his father had had an accident he reluctantly went to Lima to see him.

The problem was the whole thing was a lie, a trick his mother used for him to come home and spend more time with his father and to travel to the next town over to see her. She claimed that he had been gone away too long and she didn't know any other way to get him to come back. Truthfully, Stevie was growing tired of being away from his family so much and he agreed to take his old job back with Burt only this time he delivered locally.

It only took two months for Stevie to start his obsession with Mercedes again. He would follow her when she would walk or ride her bike places just to keep a watchfully eye out on her. He said he was doing this to protect her from the potential dangers but little did he know that one rainy night and a polite gesture of giving her what he thought was an innocent ride, he became the danger. He made a mistake and panicked. He didn't mean to hit her, but when she bit him he freaked. To make matters worse, she wasn't moving or responding and he was sure that he had killed her. He tried to calm himself down and did the first thing that came to his mind and that was to call his father. He told him what he had done and asked his father if he should call the police, but Dwight had told him no, and to meet him at his uncles old house and he would take care of everything.

Once there, Dwight and Stevie were trying to think of ways to get rid of the body and Dwight even mentioned throwing her in the Lima Canal. Once their plan was made, Stevie went outside to his truck and found it empty. He screamed for his dad and took off in his truck down the road searching for Mercedes. He found her just in the nick of time before she had made it to the main road. He didn't know what to think. He was happy to have known that he didn't kill her as he originally thought, but now she knew what he had tried to do to her and he was certain that she would go to the authorities and tell them what he had done.

Ultimately, it was Dwight who made the decision for him stating that if she was to ever go free he would rot in jail. Dwight had wanted to kill her and get it over with but Stevie had talked his father into letting him keep her alive. It was months before his father had ever revealed himself to her, he always wear a masked of some sort to keep her from recognizing him but Mercedes was smart and figured out who he was when she tried to escape one week while Stevie had left him in charge of her.

He hadn't planned for things to go as far as they did. He figured if he would be pleasant with her and told her his reasons then she would fall in love with him and then they could live a normal life, but normal never came. Seven and a half years of the same old thing and he just couldn't do it anymore. He wanted to let her go free but he couldn't help but hearing his father's words ring loud in his head about him rotting in jail for the rest of his life and her words of how she would never love him like she does Sam and he vowed right then and there if he couldn't have her no one especially Sam could.

He thought he had killed her, left her for dead in the cold dark forest but once again she had prevailed and survived and now almost a year later here she was staring him dead in the eyes in the flesh.

"Hello Stevie." Her voice sounded different but it still made his heart skip a beat. He didn't know what to say, he was too much in shock to see her to even begin to form a word. If he did then what word could that possibly be. "You seem surprised to see me."

Surprise was an understatement, he had had plenty of times where he had dreamt of her and had hallucinations of her being present in the room but this time was very real.

"After everything you have done to me, the least you could do is say something."

"Shell…" He began.

"Don't. Call. Me. That." Mercedes said through gritted teeth. "Don't even speak my name."

"I thought you were…"

"Dead?" Mercedes finished his sentence for him. "Well I'm not. I am very much alive as you can see. I came here today because I want answers Stevie and you are going to give them to me."

"I take it my baby brother doesn't know you came here today?"

"No he doesn't. He doesn't know anything about you having a part in my kidnapping. I don't think he could handle it. It doesn't matter you're still going to give me what I want."

Stevie just shook his head. He didn't want to do this but he had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide so he didn't have a choice but to sit and listen to what the woman he had spent most of his life loving had to say.

"Most women in my situation would start off with the most obvious question, why? I know why you did this, because you were a psycho with an obsession. But me I'm not most women I want to start with what reason did I ever give you to try to kill me?" She asked him. "I did everything you ever ask me to do, and more. You said that you were going to let me free and I trusted you, but you lied and I want to know what your reason behind it was."

He stared at her for a few moments and she thought that he wasn't going to answer her at first, but after a few more seconds of waiting he finally spoke up.

"Because of my father. I kept thinking back to what happened and how he said that you would turn me in and I was scared. I was really going to let you go, but at the last minute I changed my mind." He admitted.

"Why?"

"I didn't want to see you with anyone else especially if that person was going to be Sam."

"So you killed me, or tried to kill me because you didn't want to see me end up with Sam? Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?"

"It didn't sound ridiculous to me. You were mine Shell, you were always mine."

"I am not yours. I never was yours."

"You didn't say that all the times that we made love." He said with a smile and it made Mercedes sick to her stomach.

"You mean all those times that you forced yourself on me."

"I loved you and you loved me too."

"LOVE? LOVE?" Mercedes shouted. "You actually think that what happened between us all those years was love? It wasn't love Stevie. It was nothing more than some sick, twisted, delusional fantasies of what you claim to be love."

"That's not true." He said shaking his head. "What we had was real."

"No it wasn't and you and I both know this. You held me captive, you and your deranged father. For years I begged and prayed that someone would come along and rescue me or you would let you father have his way and kill me." Mercedes confessed. "For so long I tried to block you out of my mind. I tried not to picture that it was you who were doing those things to me because you were someone that I trusted. You were my best friend's brother and Sam looked up to and idolized you. I've always seen you as somewhat the man that Sam could grow up to be until you proved me wrong."

"My brother was a child he didn't know what could make you happy."

"I was a child! I was happy, and you took that away from me! You took everything away from me! My childhood, my choice of who I gave my virginity to, graduating with my friends, going to prom, seeing my parents every day, or seeing if things with Sam and I were going to be the real deal, you took away everything."

"I MADE YOU HAPPY! I GAVE YOU A LIFE!" Stevie shouted at her and hit his fist on the table. It scared her a little but she didn't want him to know her fear so she didn't flinch. "He was never going to love you like I did."

"You're right he loves me better than you ever could. His love isn't taking away my free will. His love isn't making me think I was crazy, or thinking I was better off dead. You claimed you loved me Stevie but you let your father do horrific things to me."

"I tried to protect you, keep you safe from him."

"Well you failed. You didn't protect me from the broken nose, the black eyes, the busted lips, and the cracked ribs. You didn't protect me when he would starve me for days, or when he would slap or punch me just because he could. All you did was call that druggy, doctor friend of yours Rory and have him treat me in exchange for some drugs."

Stevie didn't say anything he just sat there and watched her. A part of him knew that she was right but, he honestly thought he was helping her out.

"I want you to listen to me Stevie and listen well. I didn't come here today to take a walk down memory lane with you."

"Then what are you doing here then?" He asked her nervously.

"I came here to do the exact opposite. I came here to let the past be the past. I came here so I can finally move on and have a future. I came to tell you I forgive you, Stevie. After today I won't think about you anymore. I won't think about all the pain and the hurt that you caused me." Mercedes told him looking straight in his eyes. "I won't think about how you took seven years of my life away from me. I won't think about how you claimed to love me but you always hurt me. I won't think about all the times that you forced yourself on me. Most importantly I won't think about you anymore."

The whole time she was saying these things to him she could see him coming undone. His lip was quivering and he looked as if he wanted to cry.

"I am taking my life back. For so long I let you control what happened to me and no more. You are a monster and if you died tomorrow I wouldn't care." She told him and he was crying silently now.

"You don't mean that...you don't mean that. I just wanted you to love me." Stevie said quietly.

"Yes I do. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I want to say one more thing to you and after this I'll never speak to you or see you again. If you come after me, if you come even remotely close to me, or my family. I will kill you." She threatened.

"You couldn't possible kill me. If you could you would have done it a long time ago. I'm in your soul Shell." He said getting up and walking over to her side of the table. He knelt down beside her but she didn't turn his way to look at him.

"I mean it. I'll do to you what you fail to do to me. What I do to you will be far worse than what you did to your father." She could see the shock on his face when he realized that she had remembered what he did. "You thought I had forgotten? When a man stabs someone repeatedly in a violent rage in front of you...that's something you just don't forget. At first I didn't remember it all but now I remember everything."

"I saved you from him. He was..." Stevie closed his eyes at the thought of him walking in on his father lying on top of the girl he had loved. "I didn't know he was..."

"Doing the same thing to me that you were?" She said cutting him off. "It only happened once before that, but it still hurt all the same. Watching you kill your father turned me into someone briefly that I didn't like. I enjoyed it for a moment. It felt good to see him die, but then after it was over with, all I felt was sickness."

"I did it for you. Everything I have ever done has been for you." He said leaning in closer to her. He pressed his face in her side and she felt the bile rise up in her throat. "I still dream about you. I still think about your smile and I have never forgotten the way you smell."

"Stop! Just shut up! You disgust me." She said standing up and moving away from him. "It's over Stevie. You and I are done. I'm not afraid of you anymore. I'm with Sam and I am happy."

"What? You're with him?" He asked.

"Yes. I love him, always have and always will. What Sam and I have is real. Nothing like what I pretended it to be with you." She admitted. "Like I said before once I leave this room I don't want to think about you ever again. As far as I am concerned you're dead to me Stevie, you died the day I opened my eyes in that hospital bed."

There was a knock on the door and Mercedes looked behind Stevie to see Noah at the door. She felt as if she had said everything she had needed to say to him and now she could finally move on with her life.

"Remember what I said, if you come near me again, I'll kill you."

"I'm sorry." Stevie choked out.

"I don't want your sorry. It doesn't mean anything to me. So you can take your sorry and go to hell." She told him going towards the door. "Goodbye Stevie."

"PLEASE! NO! DON'T GO!" He said grabbing her hand. "I have changed we can be together again and this time I won't hurt you I swear." He was crying hysterically and pulling her to him. "I love you Shell. Only you!"

She thought he was going to kiss her but before he had a chance Puck had entered the room and shoved him off her. Puck tried to lunge at him but Mercedes had held him back.

"Puck stop it's not worth it. Let's just go!" She tried reasoning with him and the commotion had caused three orderlies to come to the room.

All Mercedes could hear was Stevie crying out to her about how much he loved her and was sorry. The last glimpse she caught of him was two of the orderlies holding him down as the other one was giving him a shot in the arm.

_**OOO**_

"Mercedes I can't keep this from Candace, I just can't." Puck said as he was turning into the drive of Sam's place. "This is just too big."

"You have to. I am going to tell her but I want to do it on my own terms. I am going to sit down and tell everyone at once so that I won't have to tell that story more than once."

"No, this is going to eat away at me and I am not good with guilt."

"I need you to be. Promise me Noah that you won't say anything, and I won't tell Candace about that time you let me take a hit off of your blunt when I spent the night a couple of weeks ago." She tried to leverage with him.

"I already told her that. No dice." He countered.

"Fine think about this. How do you think she is going to feel about you letting me go through with this especially alone?"

"Fine! But if you don't tell her in two weeks then the deal if off!"

"Two weeks I promise." She hugged him and told him thank you before she exited out of the truck.

She had beat Sam home so that was a good sign. She decided to make him some dinner and maybe she could finally talk to him about what she wanted to do when they were in Nashville. She tried to build up her confidence the entire time she was alone. After her talk with Stevie, she felt as if she was floating on a cloud. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.

When Sam made it home he was greeted at the door with a hug and kiss from Mercedes. He was glad to see that she was in a better mood than she had been the last couple of days. She surprised him with a nice dinner and after dinner she surprised him even more when she had asked him about going a step further than what they had been. He had to admit that he wasn't quite sure if he was ready for her to do that to him yet. He was skeptical about it at first but after much convincing and debate they agreed on letting her just use her hands for right now as they spent the rest of the night exploring each others body.

A week had passed and Sam and Mercedes had used it to become more and more accustomed to one another. They had a routine down pack when it came to being intimate. Mercedes was the happiest she had ever been because during these times she hadn't had one thought or dream about Stevie. She truly felt as if she had closed that chapter in her life but she knew that in order to really close it she had to tell everyone about what had transpired.

She and Sam were lying in bed one Saturday morning. She had been awake for about half an hour and she spent it watching him sleep. She thought about how perfect he was to her and how no matter what he always seems to put her first. The more she thought about all the ways he had assured her that he would never do anything to harm her, the more she started to wonder why she was ever scared of being with him. He never gave her a reason not to trust him or think that he would abandon her. He never gave her a reason to think that he would be like his father or his brother. Since he had more than proved to her how committed her was to her knowing all of her baggage already, she couldn't think of a valid reason why she couldn't go all the way with him.

She straddled his lap and kissed his pouting lips. He barely stirred in his sleep but she could tell he was slowly waking up. She gave him a few more pecks to his lips before she laid her head on his bare chest. Once she did she felt his arms wrap around her and she breathed in his scent.

"You couldn't stand to see me sleeping so peacefully huh?" He said kissing the top of her head.

"I was just getting comfortable that's all." She said innocently.

"Uh huh, sure."

"I am serious. Plus I had something on my mind I wanted to share with you."

"Oh yeah what was that?"

Mercedes sat back up and stared down at Sam. She leaned in and kissed him softly on his chest a couple of times. Then moved up to his neck and Sam began rubbing his arms up and down her body. She took her time placing nips, licks, and small bites to his skin. At first he was enjoying all of the things she was doing to him with her mouth and the slow grind she was doing to his morning wood. But when she released his hard on from his boxers he realized what she wanted from him.

"Mercy what are you doing?" He asked stopping her by grabbing a hold of her hands.

"I have thought long and hard about this Sam and I am ready to be with you all the way."

"I told you..."

"Shhh...I know what you said and what I said. I am not just doing this out of obligation I am really ready. My body has _**been**_ ready but now my mind is as well." She said not taking her eyes off of him. "I am ready, Sam. I want you to make love to me."

Sam stared up at her brown eyes and studied her face for a moment. He wanted to make sure that she was certain that she was ready for this because once they had done it there was no taking it back. He released the hold on her hands and reached up to sweep the fallen hair out of her face. She leaned into his hand as he cupped her face.

"You sure?" He asked her one more time.

"More than sure." She said and he could see that she had been sincere.

He pulled her close to him and he slowly flipped them to where he now hovered over her. He kissed her passionately and when she deepened the kiss he moaned into her mouth. When breathing became an issue he sat up and lifted the hem of her shirt taking it off. He started kissing down her body and was half way down when his cellphone rang.

"Ignore it." She breathed out when his lips brushed over the center of her panties and he complied. A few seconds the ringing stop and Sam was just about to remove her under wear when it rang again.

"Ugh!" Sam said frustrated. "I'm so sorry let me get rid of whoever it is and then we will finish."

He reached up and grabbed the phone off the dresser and noticed it was his mother.

"Hello." He answered and he could hear his mother sniffle on the other end. "Mama? What's wrong?"

Mercedes sat up behind him as she tried to listen to his conversation.

"What! When...I mean how?" She heard him say and she became concerned. "But he was doing so well. How could they let this happen?"

"No, don't worry about it, I will take care of it myself...Yeah I'm sure...I'll leave right now...Yes, I am ok to drive...No I don't need you to come down...thanks mom...I'm sorry too...bye." Sam ended the call and she heard him take a deep breath.

"Sam is everything ok?" She asked him and he turned towards her and she could see he was on the verge of tears. "You're scaring me what's wrong?"

"Remember a couple of months ago when I left real early and I told you I needed to take care of some things?" He started.

"Yeah?"

"Well I went to meet my mom. We went to visit someone. I don't know if you remember or not but I had an older brother named Stevie. We had the same dad but different moms."

Mercedes didn't know what to think. Did he tell Mary that she had come to visit and did she just let Sam know? If so how was she going to explain to him what happened. Before she jumped to conclusions she just decided to hear Sam out first.

"Umm I think..." She lied.

"Well a little after they found my dad dead he went crazy and tried to kill himself. My mom and I think it was because he had lost both of his parents in only a year. We figured it must have been hard for him to handle. He swallowed a bunch of pills and he would have died but I found him just in time. Once he had recovered the state ordered that he be checked into a mental institution and he has been there ever since. Well my mom got a call this morning and they informed her that when my brother didn't show up for breakfast they sent someone to his room. When the orderly made it there they found him dead. He had hung himself with his bed sheets."

"Oh my God!" Mercedes gasped. "I'm so sorry Sam. I'm so so sorry."

Mercedes had pulled Sam into her arms and he quietly wept. She knew this was all her fault. That her visit to him had triggered something inside of him and now he was dead because of her. After a few minutes Sam sat up and asked Mercedes if she would ride with him to collect his brother things and make arrangements for his body to be transferred. She quickly agreed and soon after they both had got dressed they made the trip back to Cleveland.

**OOO**

It took about three hours for Sam to get everything situated with his brother. Just like the ride up to Cleveland the ride back was filled with silence. Sam was quiet because he didn't understand what would make his brother fall off the rails like that and Mercedes was quiet because she knew Stevie was dead because of her. The hardest thing was she didn't feel an ounce of guilt for him taking his life. The guilt she felt was seeing how much this had upset Sam. She didn't think of how much this would affect him but seeing him tore up like this didn't sit right with her. Once they had made it back home she could see the exhaustion on Sam's face. She offered to make him something to eat since he hadn't touch a single bite of food all day and he declined. She told him she would make something small like a sandwich and heat up some soup just in case.

While Mercedes stirred around in the kitchen, Sam sat in the living room and went through some of his brother's belongings. Most of it was pictures Mary had sent him, cards and drawings he drew. Underneath them he saw a letter addressed to him from Stevie. At first he wasn't going to read it thinking it was his brother's suicide note but then he opted to read wanting to get all of the bad out in one day. He sat back as he began to read the last letter his brother had written before he died.

Mercedes just couldn't face him yet. It didn't take her any time to make the sandwiches and heat up a can of soup. Truth was she was hiding out in the kitchen hoping that the floor would open up and swallow her whole. She didn't think she could handle how he was going to react when he found out the truth and it scared her to think of what he may do. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Sam enter the kitchen.

"Mercedes?" She heard him call her name and she jumped.

"Sam you startled me." She turned towards him and she noticed that his eyes were red and swollen and his jaw was clenched. He was pissed and his hands were shaking in anger. "What's wrong?" She asked him nervously.

"It was Stevie." He said and she could hear the rage in his voice.

"Sam... I..." She started but she couldn't think of the right thing to say.

"Answer me Mercedes!" He yelled and she nodded her head quickly out of fear. She didn't have to worry any longer about how she would tell him about his brother because apparently he had already known. But little did she know she wasn't prepared for what was going to happen next.

* * *

**AN: So that was chapter 13. I am going to keep this short and simple. Let me know what you thought of the chapter especially the confrontation between Stevie and Mercedes. What do you think Sam is going to do now that he knows the truth and what do you think Stevie said in that letter. Please take time to review and tell me what you think. Till next time-tdminor86. One chapter left till the epilogue. **


	14. Heavy Hearts and Deep Doubts

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who have took the time to read and review the last chapter. Thanks to all of the new favorites and followers I have received. The reception from that last chapter was amazing! Shout out to my favorite friend. This chapter is dedicated to badboysam because I love it when one of my absolute favorite authors takes the time to not only read your work but to review it as well. Last chapter was deep with heaviness and this one is as well. Sorry in advance. Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review please.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Heavy Hearts and Deep Doubts****.**

Sam opened the letter from Stevie with a heavy heart. He didn't know what to expect out if his brother's final words. He had always looked up to Stevie even though he didn't have the same mother as him. He never let that deter from how he felt about his older brother, he loved him all the same. After another sigh and deep breath Sam finally began to read the letter.

_Dear Sam,_

_Writing you this letter is probably the third hardest thing I ever had to do. The two hardest things are going to be explained to you in this letter. For so long I used to wonder what it was that made our father favor your mother over mine. What was it that made him leave the life he had behind to start a new one with Mary? I won't lie to you. I blamed Mary for their separation but it wasn't until after you were born that I learned the truth. But none of that has anything to do with what I am writing to tell you. First, I just wanted to say that even though the end of this letter is going to change how you feel about me, I still want you to know that I LOVE YOU. _

_I have done a ton of questionable things in my life. Some were very good decisions, while some have been horrible. I didn't expect things to get out of hand Sam, I swear it, but it was too late for me to fix things. I had a visitor the other day. That was the second most hardest thing I ever had to do. I had to come face to face with the real true reason why I ever tried to take my life. Someone I thought I had lost forever was right there in the flesh staring eye to eye with me. She was even more beautiful than I remembered. It hurt. All of it. Every word she had spoken to me had pierced me deep in my soul and I just couldn't take it. I loved her and for so long I believed that she had loved me as well. But it took her telling me that she had forgiven me for all the pain I had caused and making me understand and see how twisted my imagination of her loving me was for me to see that what I did was downright awful._

_She didn't deserved what I did to her, no one does. I just didn't think about things thoroughly. I didn't think about the consequences and who I would hurt, all I thought about was myself and what I wanted. Mary even tried to warn me years ago that things would get out of hand and that I needed to remove myself from the situation but I failed to listen. Everything happened so fast that night and I couldn't erase what had went down. I thought I had a handle on things especially when I enlisted the help of our father. His plans weren't the greatest but I didn't know who else to turn to._

_I loved our father almost as much as I loved her. He could do no wrong in my eyes for so long. Truth is Sam, now I have the same hatred towards him as you. He swore to me that he would never touch her in an inappropriate way, but I had a feeling that he was lying. So I pretended like I was going to go away for a while only to return a hour later to find him hovering over her with his pants unzipped and his hand up her skirt while she laid there crying and helpless. I lost it. I snapped Sammy, and before I knew it one stab turned into two and five into ten, ten to twenty. I would have kept going if it wasn't for her. She placed her hand over mine and begged for me to stop. It was all different after that. I just couldn't get that image of him on top of her out of my mind. It was too much for me to live with. _

_This brings me to the hardest thing I ever had to do. I killed her. At least I thought I did. I smashed her in the head with a rock. I couldn't bring myself to hit her more than once. Once her body hit the ground hard, I saw the blood and freaked and ran away. I just knew she was dead. A part of me freaked because I loved her so much and another part was because of the frighten look on her face when she had turned around to look at me right before I had hit her. She looked so young and innocent. I just didn't have the heart to finish it. I figure no one would cross that path for days and by then she would have bled to death. I had planned to put her where I did Dwight after I killed him but...I ran. _

_So you see Sammy I didn't try to kill myself because I had lost both parents. I did it because without her there was no reason for me to live. Sorry, another lie. The truth she was haunting me. I couldn't bare it. The guilt was too much. I could see her, every hour of everyday constantly reminding me of the hurt and pain I had caused her. But I also saw another form of her begging me to end my life so we could finally be together forever. So I did it, but it just turned out to be something else I failed at. _

_What I meant to say is I am sorry for the way I am. I can't take back all the wrong and pain I caused you and her and hopefully me not being here any longer will more than make up for that. When she came to visit me the other day she told me that I was dead to her. Consider this as my peace offering to you and her. _

_I love you Sammy and I am so sorry._

_Stevie_

Sam closed the letter and he felt as if he couldn't breathe. The tears that were rolling down his cheeks as he was reading that letter were now pouring out faster. That letter couldn't be real. It just couldn't be. This whole time he always wondered who the second person could be but not once did the thought of Stevie being it cross his mind.

This was too close to comfort for him. How could he possibly not be seen as a threat to her sanity? Not only did his father assault her numerous times, but his brother was the reason why she was captured in the first place. On top of that his brother was the one who had killed his father. Sam felt nauseous; he ran to the downstairs bathroom and threw up in the toilet. Nothing could have possibly made this feeling and moment make sense to him. His brother and his father both had played a part in what he called the darkest years in his life. He grew angry just thinking about what they did. Stevie was dead and now all of the grief he felt for his brother had turned into pure hatred.

He needed to talk to Mercedes, but first he cleaned himself up and talked to himself in the mirror for a few seconds trying to calm him down. After he was sure he was ready he walked towards the kitchen to have a talk with Mercedes.

"Mercedes?" He called her name and she jumped.

"Sam you startled me." She turned towards him and she noticed that his eyes were red and swollen and his jaw was clenched. He was pissed and his hands were shaking in anger. "What's wrong?" She asked him nervously.

"It was Stevie." He said and the rage in his voice was clear.

"Sam... I..." She started but she couldn't think of the right thing to say.

"Answer me Mercedes!" He yelled and she nodded her head quickly out of fear. "No! I want to hear you say it! It was my brother wasn't it!"

"Sam, please!" She tried.

"Say it Mercedes!" He screamed like a mad man.

"Fine! It was Stevie!" Mercedes admitted. "He is responsible for what happened to me."

"That's why you have been acting so weird today, isn't it? No wait, that's why you had been acting strange all week,"

"Yes." Was all she could say.

"You knew this whole time that it was my brother and you didn't say anything. Why?"

"I didn't, Sam. Honestly, I could see his face this whole time but I just didn't want to put a name to the face but he looked so familiar."

"Why not? Why was it so bad to admit that it was Stevie? Did you fall for him or something?" Sam asked her way off the mark. His question angered Mercedes. What kind of sick logic did he have brewing in his head?

"No! God, No!" She answered.

"Then what was it? I need answers Mercedes. You don't know what is going on in my head right now." He said walking over towards her. "Just thinking about you and Stevie, and what the hell he could have been doing to you all these years is doing a number on me right now."

"The familiarity scared me." Mercedes confessed. "It scared me to admit that I knew exactly who had did this to me because once I did, then it all was real."

"So you just shut it out. Mercedes that's not something that you can just shut out of your system. It's something that I have witness you relive for the past few months. The nightmares, the therapy sessions, the times you couldn't sleep because you were scared of dreaming. I have seen it Mercedes, you have been torturing yourself."

"You're right. Things haven't been ideal and I have been dealing with a lot of things but the one thing that I had that was keeping me from going insane was you, Sam."

"Mercedes how can you still love someone like me?" Sam asked. "After everything that my father and brother did to you how can you still love me? How can you stand to be around me?"

"Easy, because you are not like them." She said reaching out for him and he pulled away from her touch. "Sam, don't do this. Don't become distant just because of what Stevie did."

"How can you expect me not to. This is weird, Mercedes. Just this morning we were going to make love for the first time. Then I find out that my brother is dead, which was a tragedy, just to turn around and find out that he was responsible for taking you away from me. Oh and not to mention the fact that it was him who killed my father all along. The same father who tried to rape you and was beating you for years just because I loved you. Oh let's not forget that my mother of all people knew that Stevie was lusting after you and did she do anything to try and help him? Hell no! She just let it happen."

Sam kept babbling on and on about everything that had transpired and the way he was acting was scaring Mercedes. She had never seen him act like this before and she did not have a clue as to what to do about it.

"It's all my fault. All of it." She heard him say.

"No, Sam, it's not. We have been through this already. I don't blame you for what they did." She tried to reason with him.

"That's because you are too good of a person to hurt my feelings to tell me. You have a kind heart and my family has done nothing but poison it. I didn't keep my word to you when I said I would always protect you, Rogue." Sam said in tears again.

"It doesn't matter. You're not like them."

"Stop saying that! It does matter, Mercedes! It matters to me. It matters because I should have done something to stop them from taking you. I failed at making sure that no harm had ever come to you."

"No you didn't Sam. You had no way of knowing that they would have done something like that. Don't beat yourself up over this." She said trying to touch him again and like the first time he backed up away from him. "Sam, please don't be like this. We have been doing good. We are finally happy and together and we can't let this ruin what we have worked so hard to build."

"I failed Mercedes. I don't deserve you. After all of this, I realize now that we can't be together. I'm unhealthy for you."

"What are you saying?" Mercedes said and she felt like her heart was about to explode. "We can't be together."

"I'm no good for you. This is too much, Mercedes. There is no way for this to work after everything. My father was one thing but Stevie...I...just can't."

"You just can't what? Be with me?"

"No I can't. I am too much of a reminder of what happened to you. Think about it Mercedes, if we get married and have kids, your rapist and kidnappers would be our children's grandfather and uncle. Can you live with that? Live with me, the brother and son of the people who did all of those awful things to you."

"You're not them, Sam. And as far as our kids go, it would not matter because it is not like they are here to influence them. They never have to worry about them hurting them or being around them. I don't see you as anything or anyone as the boy I have known since I was three and grew to know and fall in love with."

"I wish it were that simple but it's not. What if we have a son? And he comes out looking like Dwight or worse Stevie."

"He won't."

"You don't know that. How could you possibly know that? I can't put you through it for me Mercedes, I won't. This, us, it can't happen anymore. As much as I love you I can't allow myself to be with you. I just can't." Sam said and he already regretted those words as they left his mouth but he just couldn't see how this could possibly work out after learning the truth.

"You're...breaking up with me?" Mercedes asked barely above a whisper and trying to keep herself from crying.

"I don't want to, but I have to."

"Then don't! Don't do this, Sam. It is not that bad of a situation. We can move pass this I know we can."

"No, Mercedes, we can't." He told her and he had his arms wrapped tight around his stomach. Saying this to her was hurting him just as much as it was hurting her.

"Why, because you say we can't? What gives you the right to decide that? Don't I get a say in this?" Mercedes said crying now. She knew that it was going to be some drama when it came time for Sam to learn the truth but she had no idea it would amount to this.

She waited for Sam to respond but he didn't.

"Why are you doing this to me, Sam? I thought you loved me. You promised me that you wouldn't leave me and now you are breaking that promise." She said to him.

"This is the only way I can really protect you. I'm breaking up with you because I am so scared that if Dwight and Stevie turned out to be so evil then what's to keep me from becoming like them."

"By leaving me. You think that's what I want?"

"No, I'm making the decision that I would rather be without you than to be with you and potentially hurt you." He explained to her and she went from hurt and upset to mad as hell. "Rogue I..."

"NO! You had your time to talk and now it's my turn. You called me a coward that day when I ran because of Quinn and now you're the one being the coward Sam. You said that you love me and you will always be there for me no matter what obstacles were put in front of us and now that those obstacles have appeared you're trying to run away like a scared child. You think leaving me is going to help me, Sam? Well, you're wrong. It's only going to do the opposite. You think I will be able to survive this! Do you actually think my heart could take this? It won't, losing you again will do nothing but kill me! I love you so much and now you want to tell me that you don't love me too." She was crying hysterically now and Sam couldn't stand to see her like this. He reached out and pulled her flush into him holding onto her for dear life. "You can't leave me Sam, you just can't."

Sam held her tight to him. He knew exactly how she felt. He really thought he was doing the best for her but deep inside he knew just like she did that he could never truly leave her. It just that it seemed like every time they took one step forward in the right direction, something happened that ended up pulling them two steps backwards. She was his everything and even though Stevie's death and his letter had changed things between them, it was going to be a hard to get through it but at least they would get through this together.

* * *

**AN: That's chapter 14. Hope you guys liked it. This was the last chapter next is the epilogue and then it's the end. Do you think Sam and Mercedes will make or will this become to much for them to handle? Let me know what you guys thought of the chapter in a review please it means so much. Till next time-tdminor86**.


	15. Epilogue: Three Steps

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who has took the time to read and review the last chapter. The reception from that last chapter was so amazing! Shout out to Tay for helping by being my beta. This chapter is dedicated to each and every person who has read this story. Everyone who have left a review, or sent me a message about it. Everyone who added to favorites or followed it. Thank you for all the love and support. So this is the Epilogue, I am a little bittersweet about this ending, but the time has come. Sorry for any mistakes you see. I hope you enjoy and please don't forget to leave a review and let me know what your thoughts are on the ending in a review. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters. **

* * *

**Epilogue. Three steps.**

* * *

**Step One: Letting Go.**

The first six months after Sam and Mercedes had their discussion about Stevie's involvement in her disappearance was challenging. Sam couldn't fight the thoughts of him turning out to be like his father, or worse Stevie. He loved Mercedes with all of his heart and the mere thought of hurting her had him doubting their relationship with each passing day. He didn't know why or how she wanted to still be with him after everything that his family had put her through. He knew he made a promise to her that they would work things out but three weeks into working things out, Mercedes had moved back in with her parents. The first few weeks were semi normal. That was because Sam had school to distract him and Mercedes had becoming full time help for Candace with her newborn daughter to distract her.

However, Thanksgiving break had rolled around and Sam didn't have school as an excuse to avoid Mercedes anymore. The communication between the two was almost nonexistent, besides from a nightly phone to say goodnight to each other. It was always the same, two quick hellos to each other and the awkward silence for about five minutes until one of them said goodnight out of frustration and hung up. Candace and Noah suggested that they try going to talk to Emma in a couple's therapy type session.

Therapy with Emma was interesting to say the least. Usually Sam was the angry one when it came to their meetings, but it seemed as if all Sam's anger had transferred into Mercedes. She didn't want to be here in this office talking about what she saw as non-issues anymore. She made her peace with the situation the day she confronted Stevie. She didn't have any more nightmares, and all the thoughts of the nice and angry one from years ago were long gone. She just wanted to move along with her life and let it go, but no she had to dwell on it every Tuesday and Thursday from 1 till 2pm.

"So what's been on your mind lately?" Emma asked them.

"Well, let's see here," Mercedes began. "I'm still staying at my parents, which means that Sam is still a coward. Oh, he refuses to have more than a five minutes conversation with me and three minutes of those five are spent in total silence. I hate that even after his death; Stevie still had some type of control over my life because I have lost Sam even though I have him."

"What do you mean by that? You have lost him even though you have him?"

"He is not the Sam I know. The Sam I know wouldn't let stupid things like this keep us from being together no matter how close to home things may be. Everything that happened, happened to me, and I am over it. I just want to move on, let go, and live a new life with Sam. He doesn't want me anymore then that's fine, but I am not just going to sit here and let him drag this out if he is uncertain of what he wants."

Mercedes was on the verge of tears. She was pleading with Sam to just say that he was all in. She wanted him to tell her that he wasn't going to let what happened to her influence how he felt and that he wanted all the things that she did, but he didn't. He just sat there and stared off into space as if nothing was said.

"Dammit Sam, say something?" Mercedes said with tears rolling down her face. "Can't you see that you are losing me? I love you Sam, you are the only person who I have ever felt this way about."

Sam just sat there not moving or speaking.

"Sam don't you have something to say to Mercedes?" Emma asked him.

Nothing. They waited, still no response.

"Fine! Screw it. It's over!" Mercedes said and stood up to leave. "I'm sorry Emma, in order to have couples therapy you need a couple, and seeing as if I am the only one in this relationship, Sam and I are no longer together. I'm sorry I wasted your time."

He just let her go. He didn't even go after her. He watched as she walked out of Emma's office and what he thought was his life. He could feel himself started to cry, and he was slowly losing it.

"You're the biggest idiot I have ever met in my life Sam Evans." Emma said once Mercedes was out of sight. "That girl loves you, and you just let her go."

"Excuse me?" Sam said.

"Oh now you can speak? Well too damn bad, you just shut up and listen." He had never seen sweet calm Emma like this before. "You did all this pushing away on purpose. You didn't want to break up with her so you made it to where she would dump you."

"I...I..."

"I'm not finished! You think you are helping her by removing yourself out of her life, well news flash you couldn't be farther from wrong."

"I just don't want her to have any regrets." Sam admitted.

"SHE DOESN'T!" Emma yelled scaring Sam. "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled like that. Listen to me Sam, in my 17 plus years as a therapist, I have never told a single bit of information that a patient has told me. Today, I am going to break that, she and I have been talking one on one since after Stevie's death. You know what we have been talking about?"

"What?" Sam asked quietly.

"You. Not Stevie, not your father, not her parents, but you. How she is deathly afraid of losing you? How everything in her life has been messed up but the one thing that hasn't changed was you. Do you know what she told me? She told me that throughout the years she was held captive, she wanted more than anything to just quit, give up fighting, and die."

"She didn't tell me that."

"Wanna know what she said was the reason why she didn't give up?"

"What?"

"You. She said whenever things got bad and there were some bad things, she would think of you. How she would hear your voice telling her to fight and be strong, or she would see your face. She is alive today because of you. Does that sound like someone who is going to come to regret you? Think about that Sam."

Emma's words ran through Sam's head all day long. He really did think that he was doing what was best for Mercedes no matter how miserable he would feel. He felt as if she could have a much better life not having to be around the son and brother of the two men who did the unthinkable to her. How was she able to still love him after all that went down? She was right, he was a coward and he wanted more than anything for things to go back to how they use to be. But he had lost her, she broke things off with him and maybe he had finally pushed her to her limits.

* * *

A week had passed and Sam still hadn't spoken to Mercedes. He hated himself for acting like this but he just didn't know what to do about the situation. It was tough, love was tough. His whole life she was the easiest person for him to communicate with and now when they needed to talk more than anything he couldn't form the words. One thing was for sure, he hadn't slept well at all since she had moved out. He maybe got three to four hours tops of sleep and that was only on the days were he was completely wiped. Other days he was lucky if he had gotten two hours of sleep, before he started to crave for her warmness beside him. With a heavy sigh, Sam rolled around in his bed for the hundredth time that night.

Across town, Mercedes had been going through the same agony Sam had been going through. She was so furious with him. For him to just give up on them like they hadn't been working on building a strong relationship since she came back was so disheartening. Mercedes wasn't a fool, not in the slightest. She knew exactly what Sam had been doing, by pushing her away. She tried to ignore it and not give into his stupid mind games, but a person could only take so much of being the only person willing to fight.

Just as Mercedes was about to attempt to fall asleep she heard a pinging sound against her window. She ignored it thinking it was just the wind pushing a branch against the window. A few moments later the sound was there again, only this time was louder, and it sounded like several pings at once. Mercedes got up and walked over to her window. When she looked out of it she saw Sam standing in her yard.

"Sam? What the hell are you doing?" She said as soon as she opened her window.

"I'm an idiot! I'm an idiot and a fool, and a coward as well!" Sam yelled up at her.

"Sshhhhhh! Are you trying to get yourself killed? What do you want?"

"I want you. I want you to come home Mercedes." Sam said honestly. "I'm sorry for everything and I love you, I want us to move past this and let things go. I just want us to be happy and I can't seem to sleep without you. I need you Rogue." Sam had been rambling on and on and pacing back and forth across the yard. "I know I was wrong for trying to shut you out and I see that now, this is stupid. You mean everything to me and if I to I will spend my life making it up to you."

"Sam?" Mercedes called his name from behind him but he kept rambling on and on. "Sam, turn around."

Nothing. He kept babbling.

"SAM!" She yelled catching his attention and making him jump.

"Mercedes, how did you get down here so fast?" He asked surprised to see her standing next to him.

"That doesn't matter. Do you mean it?" She asked him.

"About you coming home? Yes, I love you and I want us to be together again."

"Okay." She said simply and reached for her suitcase.

"Just like that? I was prepared to camp outside your window if needed."

"If you'd like to do that I can always go back upstairs and go to bed." Mercedes said.

"No." Sam said and pulled her into a soul searing kiss. Mercedes could feel some tears from his eyes touch her cheek and she wrapped her arms around his waist pulling him closer to her.

"I love you so much Sam." Mercedes said once the kiss was broken.

"I love you too Mercedes and I am never letting you go again." He grabbed her hand and saw the small suitcase in the yard beside her. "How long was I running my mouth, you had time to pack a suitcase?"

"I never unpacked it; I was always waiting on you Sam."

* * *

**Step 2: Moving On. **

**One Year Later. **

A year had passed since Sam and Mercedes had got back together and they were more in love than ever. Although the two of them were the happiest they had ever been in years, they still haven't quite found a way to be intimate. It wasn't that they didn't love each other and they didn't want to, it was just neither of them found it to be the right time in their relationship to take that extra step. A little after Sam graduated him and Mercedes decided that they would go on a road trip. It was something for them to do in order to take their mind off of things. It was something that they could use to start fresh, to move on. What they didn't know was that the road trip would turn into a yearlong journey. They traveled from Ohio to state to state until they almost reached more than three fourths of the 50 states. Every now and then they would send their family excluding Sam's mother a postcard letting them know where they were at. Sam still wasn't over the fact that his mother knew about Stevie. He had this whole big confrontation planned out and he made plans to travel to Tennessee to confront her. However, Mercedes talked him into letting it go for the moment. She said she didn't want to have to deal with anymore drama involving Stevie and what happened to her. Mary did end up coming to Lima to talk to Sam when he didn't show up for Stevie's memorial. He then told her that he knew about her knowing Stevie had a crush on Mercedes. She swore to Sam that she had no idea that Stevie was the one who had kidnapped Mercedes. They ended up having an argument and huge blowup right there on the front porch. If it wasn't for Will and Mercedes then things may have been way uglier. Secretly, Mercedes had been sending Mary postcards behind Sam's back. She didn't hate her for what she knew, but she would not forget it.

The two spent the year getting to know each other again. Long gone were the thoughts of their past and what it meant to them. It was like they were meeting each other for the first time all over again. In every state they would do some kind of grand gesture in order to remember where they traveled. So far Sam's favorite place was Dallas Texas when they went to see a Rangers baseball game. Mercedes had caught a foul ball hit in the ninth inning which a few players had signed after the game. He spent the next four months pleading and bargaining with her for that baseball, he promised her everything but the moon but she still would not give it up. Mercedes favorite place was when they went to Atlanta Georgia. There she was able to meet one of her favorite performers of all time, Gladys Knight. She had seen the specials about her chicken and waffles restaurant on the food and travel network and she begged Sam to take her there. Luckily, the day that they went Gladys herself was actually there and Mercedes almost fainted at the mere sight of her. She asked Mrs. Knight if she could please sing just a few seconds of a song to her then she could die happy. Mercedes couldn't help herself when she sang along with her and afterwards Gladys said she had such a beautiful voice. She even allowed Sam to take a picture of the two of them.

The last stop they made on year long trip was a return to Vegas. Mercedes had kept in touch with Kurt and Blaine off and on after they left Vegas for the first time. She had asked Sam if it would be okay for them to go back and try to visit the two boyfriends. First Mercedes thought that she would end up disappointed when they noticed that Kurt and Blaine's act had been removed from April's and Holly's Vegas Extravaganza. But fortunately Sam was able to find a brochure advertising all of the different shows that Vegas have to offer, when he spotted the Kurt and Blaine's Variety Hour. Kurt was just as ecstatic to see Mercedes as she was to see him. After the show the four of them went out partying again just like the first time. They were able to catch up and inform each other on all the events that had happened over the past year and a half. Blaine and Sam sat back and watched as their loves gossiped and reminisce like two old girlfriends. It warmed Sam's heart to Mercedes so happy.

One thing that neither of them had expected to happen was on their second night there, Mercedes had asked Sam if he wanted to get as instantly as she said it, she regretted it. She didn't know why she had asked him that. She had always thought of Sam as her future husband, but she wasn't quite sure if he was ready for her to be his wife. She went to tell him that she had made a mistake in asking him that but he had spoken first.

"What did you say?" Sam asked her just to be certain.

"I said, wanna get married?" Mercedes said louder. There was her opportunity to get out of what she had just said and instead of using it she asked him again.

"Yes, let's get married." Sam said staying directly into her brown eyes.

"Sam, we don't have to do this. I was just having a case of word vomit. I was thinking about life and love and marriage and then I thought about how people come to Vegas and have these quickie weddings, I don't know I guess I thought of me and you having one." She said rambling. "I don't want you to feel like you have to marry me now because I said that I wanted to marry you. We can just continue on our trip have fun and forget that I even suggested that we get married."

Sam watched her as she fumbled with her fingers. He knew she was nervous, but little did she know that he had already planned on asking her if she wanted to get married while they were here. It was always in his plan even when they first started dating and planning the trip to come to Vegas that he would ask her if she would be his wife. Sam turned to her and grabbed her hand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver, solitaire three karat, diamond ring. He slid it on her finger without saying a word. She looked down at her hand and gasped at the sight of the beautiful diamond ring.

"Mercedes, yes I will marry you." Sam said and grabbed her face kissing her softly on the lips. "However, we do not have to get married here if you would like a big ceremony with your sister and your mother there."

"No, I don't want the long engagement or a big wedding. If we decide to do that, it will turn into my mother's and my sister's wedding and not ours. I just want to be your wife so I say let's just do it here okay." Mercedes said as tears threaten to fall down her eyes.. "I love you so much Samuel Evans. You saved my life in more than one way and I will always be thankful for that."

"I love you too Mercedes Jones, well in a couple hours, maybe minutes, Evans." They both laughed and he kissed her again.

* * *

An excited Mercedes called Kurt to ask him and Blaine if they would be the witnesses for her and Sam's quickie wedding. Of course Kurt being the fashion nut that he was had absolutely denied Mercedes' choice of getting married in blue jeans and a I heart Vegas T-shirt. He practically dragged her to the nearest department store and bought her a beautiful, cream colored, with black lace, Badgley Mischka dress. She cursed at him for spending unnecessary money, and he quickly told her it was a wedding gift from him. He also made sure that they went to the most elegant Chapel in all of Las Vegas. She hadn't seen Sam since Kurt pulled her away from him, and he went away with Blaine. When she walked down the aisle and saw him standing there in something that she obviously knew Blaine had dressed him in she smiled to herself.

There ceremony was short, simple, sweet, and right to the point. It was everything that Mercedes and Sam both wanted and needed considering that they both hated to be made a fuss out of. Afterwards they cut a small cake, drank champagne, and dance the night away with their two friends. Kurt had one more surprise for the newlyweds, giving them the key to the honeymoon suite at one of the best hotels in Vegas. They both protested, saying they already had a room but Kurt was very persistent when he wanted his way.

Sam was nervous the entire time they gather their stuff to move to the new suite. He knew exactly what came after the wedding and what was expected on the wedding night, sex. They really hadn't brought up the subject of sex in a very long time. They both decided months ago when it felt right they would just do it and not try to plan or force it. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe Mercedes wanted to try to have sex for the first time tonight. As they walked to the elevator at the new hotel Sam grabbed her hand.

"Mercedes… I was wondering... did you want to um…" Sam's words were cut off by her giving him a peck to the lips.

"Let's just get upstairs to our room, get settled in and if it happens then it happens okay?" Mercedes told him giving his hand a squeeze for reassurance.

"You're right. I don't know why I was tripping." Sam said just as the elevator doors opened and they walked in.

It didn't take long for the decision to be made of whether or not they were having sex. Twenty minutes into settling in, they started slow dancing to Sam singing Michael Jackson's Lady in My Life, which lead to soft sweet kisses being traded back and forth. Those sweet kisses became heated, deeper, ones filled with lust and desire. They moved from being lip to lip, to lip to neck, then shoulder, then collarbone, which caused moans of pleasure to happen. Before long Sam had her wrapped in his arms as he took his time kissing every piece of chocolate skin he could. Sam had her body on fire, and it felt too good. Her hands were tangled into his blond locks as his teeth gently latched on to her budded nipple, and his fingers lightly strummed against her clit. After she came down from the high of her first climax to just his fingers alone, Sam had finished undressing and positioned himself right in between her legs. He slowly inched his way inside of her as she slid her arms underneath his and gripped his shoulders. When he was fully inside he waited for her to give the ok to move. Once she nodded, he slowly moved within her kissing her lips passionately as they finally took the next step. His movement only picked up a little as he found a good rhythm and stuck with it. His eyes never left hers as he made love to his love, for the first time. It was everything he had ever dreamt it to be and more, as moans of his name slipped from her swollen lips and nails drugged down his back. He almost lost it, when she wrapped her legs around his waist, causing him to go much deeper. He almost went into overdrive, but he remembered that this was their first time and there would plenty of opportunities to go all out. He was close, very close, and he could tell she was as well. He picked up one of her knees bringing it closer to her and sped up just a little. He shut his eyes as he kissed her again and within the next few moments he felt her body shudder underneath his with her release. He buried his face in her neck and quickly joined her seconds later with a deep contented growl. As they rode out their orgasms, Sam moved his head to stare down at his wife. She rubbed the sweaty hair at the nape of his nape as she tried not to shy away from his intense gaze.

"I love you." Sam said after a second or two of silence. "I'm so happy to call you mine."

"I love you too." She told him as he leaned down to kiss her once again. He was glad things worked out the way they did. He was happy they waited, and something about when it happened made the night even more special.

* * *

**Step Three: Happily Ever After.**

**Three Years Later.**

"Ok, last one baby I promise." Sam assured his wife as she tightens the Kung Fu grip she had on his hand**. **

"You said that two pushes ago!" She yelled as she was trying to bring their unborn child into the world. "I swear, Sam you will never do this to me again!"

"Mrs. Evans here comes another contraction, let's give it one big push and then it's over." Dr. Marley Rose told them.

Mercedes screamed as she pushed as hard as she could for as long as she could. Sam was encouraging her on as he watched as the doctor finally pulled their baby out and gave it a small smack on its tiny bottom. The loud cries of their baby boy filled the room and Sam and Mercedes both kissed each other with tears in their eyes.

"I'm so proud of you Rogue." Sam said as he rubbed his wife's forehead. "You did a good job."

OOOOO

A few hours later friends and family had filed in and out of their room to meet Samuel Kurt Evans. Mercedes and Sam decided to give him Kurt's name because he had been such a big part of their life in the past three years. Sam and Mercedes had moved to Las Vegas when Blaine and Kurt had begged Mercedes to become a part of their show. Sam got a job as an architect, and he even got an account designing one of the newest hotel casinos. The show was already a success but when they added Mercedes to it, it became one of Vegas's highest grossing acts. Of course the Jones, Candace, Noah, and Mary had been upset when they returned home married without them, but when they informed them they would be moving to Sin City they all were furious. In the end Marc had been the voice of reason and convinced the mothers that the two would be fine. It didn't stop Delia, Candace, and Mary from demanding that the two have a real ceremony for the family and friends and a lil bit after Mercedes found out she was expecting they went back to Lima and had a beautiful ceremony at the country house.

Sam was tempted to sell it when they moved but Mercedes told him there were too many memories there for him to just sell it. She said she wanted to past it down to their children, so they make some memories of their own there some day. Sam and his mother had finally made amends about the whole Stevie situation. Mercedes had told him that if she could forgive and forget than so could he. She told him that life was too short for old grudges and they should just be thankful for the life they had now.

Candace, Noah and their two children were the last ones to leave for the night. Mercedes enjoyed spending time with her sister and they both talked about how far they had come, both of them being married and mothers now. She let Mercedes and Sam know that she had planned on confiscating her nephew on a regular basis, and not to be surprised when she comes to visit and packs him in the car when she gets ready to go back home. After a few more minutes of girl time and Noah telling Sam to say goodbye to all the freak sex he wanted, the four of them left and headed to their hotel.

"I do believe we have made the most beautiful baby in the world." Sam boasted as he rocked Samuel in his arms.

"I'm surprised to see you smiling." Mercedes said sitting up. "You have been pouting since they allowed the first visitors in."

"That's because everybody got to hold him but me. Every time I would try to get my hands on him, someone would pass him along to somebody who wasn't me." Sam said with a small grimace on his face.

He looked down just in time to be met with Samuel's big brown eyes. He had Sam's full lips and smile besides that everything else was Mercedes. He was so thankful for this and he would never tell her that. The whole entire time from the day they found out it was a boy, he prayed to God that their son wouldn't look anything like his father or brother. He still had a small bit of worry that he would grow into the Evans' look but he wasn't going to let that bother him right now.

He had his wife and his newborn son and a job he loved. He was blessed to say the least and after everything that went on, he thanked god every day that Mercedes was still in his life. He walked over to where she sat watching her guys with the biggest smile on her face. He kissed her gently before handing their son over to her.

Mercedes was so grateful that she had Sam in her life. He was the reason why she was alive to have this moment. To hold her special gift, her son. A son that she would love, and adore, and protect with her life and make sure that he would never have a care in the world. A son that she would die for if need be, a son that she would never let one piece of harm come to. A son that she made with the love of her life, and oldest friend. A friend that became her husband that she cherishes more than life itself. A husband that she planned on growing old with. A husband she planned on swinging on the old porch swing with while watching a yard full of grandkids run amuck. She closed her eyes as visualized that life she just imagined and said a small prayer thanking God that he blessed her with such a wonderful soul mate.

"So, I have one question Rogue?" Sam said breaking the silence in the hospital room.

"Yes?" She answered him.

"Were you serious about me never impregnating you again?"

"Why?"

"Because I can't help but imagine us having a house full of kids that will give us a house full of grand kids." Sam said honestly as he traced the outline of her face.

Mercedes closed her eyes at her husband's touch; she could never get tired of him touching her.

"As long as you continue to love me the way you do, and touch me like are now, then I will give all the kids you want Sam." She said kissing his fingers that lingered on her lips.

"Promise?" He asked her staring in her eyes.

"Promise." She said as his lips touch hers.

**THE END**

**MENTAL PICTURES**

* * *

**AN: So that's the end of Mental Pictures. I hope you all enjoyed it. I want to just say thanks again to everyone who journeyed with me on this ride. I love and appreciate you all. The only thing I ask is if you would be so kind and leave me a review letting me know what you liked and didn't liked about the story as a whole, I would love to know what you think. Till next time-tdminor86.**

**P.S. If you liked this then look out for a story I will be posting soon called How to Save a Life. It isn't as dark as this one, but there will be some dark issues. Here's a small preview.**

* * *

Mercedes could feel her own pulse weakening. She could hear Sam speaking to her but at the same time she couldn't make out the words he was telling her. This was bad, very bad. Today was going to be the day that Mercedes Jones died. She didn't have an extravagant life; she wasn't a famous singer or recording artist like she had hoped to be. She wouldn't be remembered as some important figure that did well for mankind. The only thing on her mind was Alex; she couldn't leave him behind, especially after everything they had been through. She glanced up as Sam lifted a bloody hand to her face. She was being moved somewhere. She could feel her eyes slowly start to close.

"Mercedes! Mercedes!" She heard Sam say faintly. "Open your eyes! Fight for me baby please!"

She saw another face, it looked a lot like Quinn's or was that Mike, but she didn't have time to be 100% certain, before she lost the fight and her eyes closed shut and everything went black.

"Dammit Quinn I need you to drive this car!" Sam yelled as he was giving Mercedes CPR.

"I am driving as fast as I can Sam!" She yelled crying. "She can't die Sam! You have to save her, we can't lose her." She told him from the front seat as she tried to see clearly through her tears. She took a glance in the rear view mirror at her best friend covered in blood and she pushed her foot down on the gas pedal as hard as she could, praying that they made it to the hospital on time.


End file.
